Support for schools working with grieving children and young people
If you’re a teacher or education professional working with a grieving student, we’re here to help.
How can Winston’s Wish help schools supporting grieving pupils?
Caring for a bereaved pupil can be complex. What should you say? How should you act? Is there something specific you should be doing or not doing? How do you know if a student is coping?
As well as providing instant access to expert bereavement support and information to young people, Winston’s Wish helps adults supporting bereaved children and young people, including teachers, teaching assistants, pastoral care and anyone else working in an education setting, to provide the best support possible.
If you are a parent or familiy member, please visit our guidance for parents section, and if you are a professional in a different sector, please visit our guidance for professionals section.
We’re here to help you support the children and young people in your care, whether it be in anticipation of a death (pre-bereavement), in the immediate days following a bereavement or even months or years down the line.
From helping you find the right words to have important conversations about death, dying and grief to advising on the best and most appropriate support for children and young people you work with, we’re here to give you the confidence to support a bereaved child you’re supporting.
We can also help you advise and find the best and most appropriate bereavement support for a child you’re supporting to access directly.
Information about grief
Resources for schools
Download our template and guide to create a bereavement policy for your school and use our guide, strategy and charter documents to support grieving students.
Training
We offer a variety of training on childhood bereavement for professionals including free online modules, in-depth day courses and bespoke training for organisations.
Rapid Response training
This one-hour online training package is designed to offer immediate support and advice for school staff in those days and weeks following a bereavement.
Publications and resources
Specialist books written by Winston’s Wish to help you support grieving children and young people, plus memory boxes to store treasured items and free activities to download.
Advice for schools
From supporting grieving children through exams to helping a newly bereaved child return to school, we have lots of guidance written by our bereavement specialists.
General bereavement information
Advice and resources to support grieving children and young people, including on bereavement by suicide, homicide and serious illness and for children with SEND.
How you can help your pupils to understand grief
PSHE lessons
Download our free PSHE lessons for Key Stages 1-4, including lesson plans, presentations and resources and help your pupils develop the skills and understanding they need.
Free activities
Download our free activities to use with bereaved children to help them explore and express their feelings and find ways to remember the person who has died.
Speak with a Bereavement Specialist
Our team of bereavement specialists offer guidance and advice, helping to equip you with the tools you need to provide the best support. Our team is available to speak to from 8am to 8pm, Monday to Friday (except bank holidays). There’s no need to book an appointment and no lengthy wait times.
If you need support in a language other than English, we have access to telephone interpreters and we can use the Relay UK app if you have hearing or speech difficulties.
Call
Call free on 08088 020 021
Email
Email us on ask@winstonswish.org or fill out our contact form and we’ll reply within two working days.
Live chat
Click the blue ‘Chat with us’ button at the bottom right of your screen.
Text
Text or WhatsApp us on 07418 341 800 (open 3pm-8pm, Monday to Friday).
Looking for direct support for your bereaved child?
Winston’s Wish provides a range of information and services directly for children and young people (up to 25) who are bereaved or facing the death of someone important to them.
We believe in empowering children and young people to take charge of their bereavement support journey, offering them choice and control in what services they engage with.
Children and young people can explore our range of age-appropriate information and resources, and if they wish, reach out directly to our bereavement specialists by live chat, email, text or phone.
Information and support for bereaved kids (12 and under)
Information and support for bereaved young people (13 to 25)
If your child or young person isn’t sure what support they need or where to start, they are encouraged to complete an enquiry form. That form will be carefully assessed by our bereavement specialists to determine the best and most appropriate service based on their needs. We encourage you to support your child or young person to make their own enquiry.
Parents and carers can submit enquiry forms for a child aged 12 or under.
Form for adults enquiring on behalf of a child under 13
Please note we cannot accept enquiry forms on behalf young people aged 13.
We are unable to process any enquiries without the prior consent of the child or young person.
Did you know that Winston’s Wish is a charity? We provide our information, advice and services free of charge to ensure no child or young person has to grieve alone. If you’d like to make a donation or fundraise to ensure we can continue to be there for bereaved children and young people across the UK please click here.
Bereavement counselling for children and young people
For most bereaved children and young people, the support and comfort they find through our content and on-demand services is enough. However, for those who have experienced severe, traumatic and/or multiple bereavements, or if a young person has complex personal circumstances, it may be that they need more focused and dedicated support.
Bereavement counselling may help. If it’s found that a child or young person could benefit from counselling, they will be matched with an appropriate counsellor who will help them to safely explore their feelings and experiences.
Please note that bereavement counselling is accessed by referral only. Young people aged 13 or over are encouraged to complete their own referral if appropriate, please feel free to help them with this. If you are submitting a referral on behalf of a young person, someone from Winston’s Wish will assess the child or young person’s individual circumstances to ensure they receive the right service for them. If it’s decided this isn’t the right service for them, a member of our team will guide you towards the most appropriate support.
I still remember the chemistry teacher coming up to me in the corridor and just saying ‘I’m so sorry about your mum. You know where to find me if it’s a rough day.’ I didn’t even take chemistry. I’ll never forget him doing that.
One of my most painful memories after I lost my mum was being made to sit in a Mother’s Day assembly when I was 10 years old, followed by making Mother’s Day cards.
My Mum died and my life changed forever. It was the biggest thing that ever happened to me. My teacher never mentioned it.
We were doing a bike safety course and she suddenly burst out crying. I had no idea her sister died in a bike accident – I didn’t even know she had a sister who died.
You might also be interested in
Talk Grief
Talk Grief is our new dedicated online space for grieving teenagers and young adults. They can talk to bereavement professionals, hear from other young grieving people, and share how they grieve: the good, the bad and the ugly.
Fundraise at your school
From making us your school charity of the year to organising a Wear Wellies Day, there are lots of ways your school can raise money and help us support other grieving children.
Volunteer
Whether you can volunteer a few minutes, a few hours or a few days, you can help us change the lives of other grieving children.
Connect with us
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