Let’s talk about death: All children in England should receive grief education at school

Nearly all British children experience a bereavement by the age of sixteen. An estimated 16,100 children experienced the death of a parent from COVID-19 associated causes between March 2020 and February 2023. Through news and social media, young people are exposed to more conversations about death than ever before.

Yet, there is currently no requirement for schools in England to provide grief education and research suggests the topics are rarely taught. 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. This results in a postcode lottery where many children have no classes on this universally relevant topic.

Unresolved grief can have a significant and lasting impact on a child’s wellbeing and has been associated with depression, anxiety and other psychological issues, as well as lower academic outcomes, substance misuse, unemployment, criminal convictions and suicide. It is essential that we equip young people with the knowledge and strategies to cope with grief and support others.

This policy report demonstrates the need to integrate grief education into the statutory curriculum in England, consolidating decades of research and campaigning by charities, families, teachers and academics and reflecting a key recommendation in the UK Commission on Bereavement’s landmark report (2022). The Government have committed to teaching about mental wellbeing at school. Learning about grief, death and loss should be part of this provision.