Policy report touts need for grief education in curriculum
Nearly all British children experience a bereavement by the age of sixteen, as approximately one in 29 school-age children has been bereaved of a parent or sibling
A new policy report has been published which demonstrates the need to integrate grief education into the statutory curriculum in England, as part of an ongoing collaboration between Bristol University, Child Bereavement UK and Childhood Bereavement Network.
The report has consolidated decades of research and campaigning by charities, families, teachers and academics, reflecting a “key recommendation” in the UK Commission on Bereavement’s landmark report of 2022.
Nearly all British children experience a bereavement by the age of sixteen, as approximately one in 29 school-age children has been bereaved of a parent or sibling. This is the equivalent of one child in every class.
Many more children have been bereaved of a grandparent, other relative, close friend, or pet. Through news and social media, young people are exposed to more conversations about death than ever before.
Yet, the report has expressed concern that there is currently no requirement for schools in England to provide grief education, as research suggests the topics are rarely taught.
Meanwhile, the statutory guidance for relationships, sex and health education (RSHE) only references bereavement as one of the common ‘adverse childhood experiences’ teachers should consider when they teach.
Some schools may choose to use parts of the PSHE Association programme of study, which references ‘death’ or ‘bereavement’ at each stage of education, but these guidelines are not mandatory. Studies suggest that non-statutory topics – especially those that could be sensitive or controversial – are often not taught, which results in a “postcode lottery where many children have no classes on this universally relevant topic”.
The report, which is authored by Dr Lesel Dawson, Rachel Hare, Dr Lucy E. Selman from the University of Bristol, Tracey Boseley from Child Bereavement UK, Alison Penny MBE from Childhood Bereavement Network and National Bereavement Alliance, and NAFD president John Adams, concludes that the government has committed to teaching about mental wellbeing at school as learning about grief, death and loss should be “part of this provision”.
