Talking About Death and Bereavement in School

Acknowledgements. 1. Society's Attitude to Death. 2. Teaching Opportunities. 3. Heaven or…? Belief Systems. 4. Concepts of Death. 5. Effects on the School. 6. Death of a Staff Member. 7. Death of a Pupil. 8. Multiple Losses in the School. 9. How the School Responds. 10. Case Study. 11. Explaining the Reality. 12. The Effects of Bereavement on Learning. 13. Social Effects. 14. Spiritual and Cultural Issues. 15. Summary. Useful Resources

Chadwick addresses the challenges of talking about death and bereavement with children, offering clear, practical suggestions and encouraging school staff to have the courage to be 'brave' and to 'break new ground' in tackling this topic and so prepare their children for the reality of life and death from an early age. In so doing, she notes that it is often important at the outset to correct children's existing misconceptions of death which can often lead to fears and anxieties. The book includes useful sections on the death of a staff member or pupil as well as multiple losses, and considers the emotional, educational and behavioural impact of bereavement using a case study of a young boy whose mother has died... The book provides welcome encouragement for school staff to provide clear, age-appropriate explanations to children and to allow open and honest discussion on this important topic.