Imagine walking into your school or classroom for the first time after your special person has died, and nobody asks you how you are coping. Or imagine being told your new English Literature assignment features a story all about suicide when that’s how your sibling died. Picture being stopped from making a Father’s Day card because yours died before you were born. Â
Estimates suggest that there is a bereaved young person in every classroom1. And sadly, 72% of bereaved students said they were never asked how they were coping after the death of somebody special to them2.
Whereas many young people have reported receiving excellent support from their teachers and while in education, many other young people have voiced that their experience was very different. Â
Educators report feeling under-equipped to know how to comfort and support a bereaved student, with the fact remaining that there is no mandatory bereavement training for education professionals. Where bereavement policies do exist, often they follow a one-size-fits-all approach, instead of tailored support and care.Â
According to a survey of more than 300 bereaved young people aged 8-25, 79% rated the support they received while in education 5 or less out of 102.Â
Our incredible Youth Team are launching Ask Me: Education, an initiative which encourages education professionals and settings to commit to asking bereaved students what they need both in the moment and longer term to be able to cope with their bereavement during their education. Â
Education providers are invited to sign the manifesto and pledge to implement the bereavement plan. Moving away from a one-size-fits-all approach, the plan empowers bereaved students by giving them a voice and placing them at the centre of their own support in school, college, or university. The request is simple, ask bereaved students what they need.  Â
Mr David Greenshields is the Vice Principal at Emmanuel College, Gateshead, which will be an early implementor of the Ask Me: Education and will be among the first to complete the specialist training. Mr Greenshields comments:
Our hope is that this will lead to a greater willingness for the sector to acknowledge the challenges of grief and bereavement for young people, to be prepared to talk openly about death and dying to all students so that they are equipped for adult life, and to support others who are experiencing bereavement.
David Greenshields, Vice Principal at Emmanuel College, Gateshead
The Ask Me: Education campaign is designed around the principle of allowing bereaved young people, no matter when they were bereaved or who they are grieving, the space to be asked how they would like to be supported in their grief. This isn’t about lowering standards; it’s about creating the conditions where bereaved students can feel safe enough to succeed.Â
Henri, who is a member of the Winston’s Wish Youth Team and helped to create the campaign says:
My education experience in the first few years after my mum’s death was very difficult. I felt alone and like a burden to the school with no one to turn to and no support.
It felt as though no one was listening as I struggled both academically and personally, without my situation being acknowledged. After moving schools and later going to college, I felt more understood and supported and it was clear that the staff genuinely wanted the best for me and were eager to help in any way they could, even if they didn’t know exactly how.
Henri, Winston’s Wish Youth Ambassador
Fergus Crow, CEO of Winston’s Wish, comments:
This campaign is all about supporting teachers and young people together – it is not about diminishing the incredible work so many educators already do. I think our excitement about ASK ME is also a mark of the respect we have for our teachers and support staff in schools, and it reflects both the challenging roles they have and their commitment to do the best for the children and young people they support.
Fergus Crow, Winston’s Wish CEO
How can you help?
If you work in education, commit to signing the Ask Me: Education Manifesto and join a growing community of education professionals standing up for bereaved students across the UK. Â
By signing, you’ll commit to listen to bereaved students, to give them a voice and choice in how they are supported through grief. You’ll promise to ditch the ‘one size fits all’ approach and offer compassionate, tailored grief support to students who need it.  Â
We’re not asking you to do this alone. You’ll receive our free resources, and exclusive training offers to help you and your staff better support bereaved students. Â
It’s time for real change. Be part of a national movement to change the futures of bereaved children and young people for the better. Â
Share the campaign with your colleagues, teachers, lecturers about Ask Me: Education.Â
References:
1 Childhood Bereavement Network https://childhoodbereavementnetwork.org.uk/about-1/what-we-do/research-evidence/key-statistics
2 Recent survey by Winston’s Wish of over 300 bereaved students aged 8 to 25