Grief doesn’t stay at home when a child walks into school. It comes with them – into classrooms, playgrounds, friendships, and everyday routines.
As grief is introduced into the PSHE curriculum, schools are increasingly being asked to support children and young people in understanding loss, bereavement, and emotional wellbeing in a more structured way. For many staff, this brings both an opportunity and a challenge: how do we hold these conversations well, with confidence and care?
That’s why we’re excited to share that The Loss Foundation is developing a brand-new course focused on supporting bereaved children and young people in educational settings.
Our upcoming course will provide accessible, compassionate, and evidence-informed guidance for teachers, pastoral teams, school leaders, and anyone working with children. We will explore:
🧠 How grief can present differently in children and young people
💬 What children may say – and what their behaviour might be communicating
🗣️ How to talk about death and loss in an age-appropriate way
🏫 How schools can build grief-aware and supportive environments
🧰 Practical tools for responding in the classroom
📅 Supporting children during anniversaries and difficult dates such as Mother’s Day and Father’s Day
We know that many school staff feel uncertain when supporting grieving pupils, particularly when it comes to saying the right thing or knowing how to respond in the moment. This course is designed to bridge that gap and offer practical, compassionate guidance that can be used immediately in school settings.
📢 Our new children + grief course is coming soon. Leave your email and we’ll let you know when it launches.
📘 Free PDF Guide: Grief in the Classroom
Alongside our upcoming course, we’ve also created a free PDF guide to grief in the classroom, designed specifically with PSHE changes in mind.
The guide includes:
🏫 Practical advice for supporting bereaved pupils in school
💬 Language and phrases that can help in difficult conversations
👥 Guidance on supporting classmates and peers
🔒 Safeguarding and pastoral considerations
📚 Ideas for building a more grief-aware school culture
📍 Signposting to further support and resources
Whether you are a teacher, SENCO, pastoral lead, counsellor, or school leader, this guide is designed to help you feel more confident and supported when responding to grief in your school community.
This work has been made possible thanks to the incredible support of Cabaret vs Cancer. We’re so grateful for their generosity and belief in supporting grieving children and families.
Learn more about Cabaret Vs Cancer here
🌱 Stay Updated
Our full course is launching soon.
Sign up to our newsletter below to be the first to hear when it goes live – and to receive access to our free PDF guide.
Together, we can help ensure that grieving children are met with understanding, care, and confidence in every classroom they enter.
📢 Our new children + grief course is coming soon. Leave your email and we’ll let you know when it launches.
