Bereavement Support for Schools and Young People
Bereavement Support for Schools is essential in helping children cope with grief and loss. Research suggests that around 1 in 29 school-aged children have experienced the death of a parent or sibling.
This figure does not include children grieving other significant losses, such as grandparents, relatives or close friends.
With some children facing long waits for counselling, schools need accessible ways to provide emotional support.
At The Bereavement Café, we believe every child deserves a safe space to talk, share their feelings and feel heard.
You can learn more about childhood bereavement statistics through the Childhood Bereavement Network.
What We’ve Learnt From Our Youth Bereavement Cafés
Following successful trials, we have gained valuable insight into how children prefer to receive bereavement support.
We discovered that:
- Children often prefer us to visit them at school.
- They don’t always feel comfortable talking to teachers or parents.
- Meeting other bereaved children helps them realise they aren’t alone.
- Children value hearing others share similar experiences.
- They listen to one another and recognise shared feelings about grief and loss.
These experiences highlight the importance of creating a welcoming environment where children feel comfortable expressing themselves.
How Our School Bereavement Sessions Work
Our Bereavement Support for Schools programme provides small-group sessions in a familiar school environment.
We can support groups of 6–8 children through four weekly sessions, each lasting one hour.
Our sessions give children the opportunity to talk openly about their experiences. They can also listen to others without feeling pressured to share.
We understand that every child experiences grief differently. Our approach focuses on listening, understanding and helping children feel less alone.
Benefits of Bereavement Support for Schools
Bringing The Bereavement Café into your school offers several potential benefits:
- Direct face-to-face support: Children can speak openly in a safe, supportive environment.
- Experienced staff: Our team has professional training in grief recovery and personal experience of bereavement.
- Accessible support: Our sessions can provide additional support while children wait for specialist counselling.
- Improved school engagement: Emotional support may help children manage difficulties affecting their behaviour, attendance and learning.
- Support for teachers: We help school staff understand the challenges bereaved children may face.
Our aim is to work alongside schools and families to ensure children receive compassionate support when they need it.
Helping Schools Support Bereaved Children
Teachers play an important role in supporting children through grief. However, knowing what to say or how to respond can sometimes feel difficult.
Our sessions help schools create an environment where children feel understood and supported.
For additional guidance, Child Bereavement UK provides helpful resources for teachers supporting bereaved pupils.
You can also explore our Helping You Support Others page for more information about supporting people through grief.
Contact Us About Bereavement Support for Your School
If your school would like to offer additional support to children experiencing grief, we’re here to help.
Our Bereavement Support for Schools sessions provide a welcoming space where young people can connect, share experiences and feel heard.
Contact The Bereavement Café to learn more about bringing our sessions into your school.
