By the age of sixteen, 1 in 29 children or young people will experience the bereavement of a parent or sibling. Furthermore 78% of 11-16 year olds report being bereaved of someone to whom they were close.
Other children will experience the loss of a loved one through altered home circumstances, such as family breakdown.
The way in which schools are able to respond to the needs of these
children and young people plays a crucial role at a time of great need.
Research shows that suffering a significant bereavement or loss in childhood poses a clear risk to future wellbeing. Bereaved children are more likely to suffer bullying, and some may even experience behaviour change leading to an increased likelihood of exclusion from school. There is strong evidence that many young people feel the response of their school is inadequate at a time of bereavement or loss.
Leicestershire Healthy Schools have produced a guidance document for schools, aimed at giving all school staff a useful working knowledge of issues around bereavement and how best to support bereaved members of their community. The guidance also addresses how best schools can prepare themselves before a bereavement occurs.
Download the full document as a pdf by clicking here.