Talking About Death and Bereavement in School: How to Help Children Aged 4 to 11 to Feel Supported and Understood

by Ann Chadwick

Overview

Children experiencing bereavement are often confused, unprepared, and in need of help and support from those around them. It is important that school teachers and staff know how to respond to bereavement and how they can best help the child.

This short, easy to read book offers simple but important advice and guidance for school teachers and staff on what to do when a child is grieving. It includes advice on explaining death to children, insights into how children may be feeling and how they may react, and ways in which they can be supported. The book also covers how bereavement can affect a child and how it can affect the whole school in the case of a death of a pupil or staff member. It also stresses the importance of teaching the facts of death to children and includes ideas on how to incorporate this into lessons.

This book is ideal for all staff in a school setting who are in need of easily digestible and practical guidance on how to support children after bereavement.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781849052467
Publisher:	Kingsley, Jessica Publishers
Publication date:	10/15/2011
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	80
Product dimensions:	5.20(w) x 8.30(h) x 0.40(d)

About the Author

Ann Chadwick is a retired qualified social worker and senior lecturer in social work. She has written bereavement materials and led workshops throughout the UK for bereavement counselling agencies.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements 7

Preface 9

Society's attitude to death 11

Teaching opportunities 11

Children aged 4 to 7 12

Children aged 7 to 11 14

Heaven or...? 17

Concepts of death 21

Effects on the school 24

Death of a staff member 29

Reaction of adults 29

Reaction of pupils 32

Death of a pupil 33

Multiple losses in the school 35

How the school responds 36

Collectively 36

Helping individuals 39

Case study: Responding to the death of a child's mother 40

Effects on adults 42

Effects on the child 43

Emotional 43

Educational 43

Behavioural 45

Older children 46

Explaining the reality 48

The effects of bereavement on learning 52

Social effects 53

Spiritual and cultural issues 63

Spiritual and cultural issues need explaining 64

Summary 66

Recommended reading and resources 69

Recommended reading 69

For children aged 7 to 11 years 69

For professionals and parents 70

Useful organizations and websites 71

CD/audio tape 74

Editorial Reviews

Ann Chadwick’s very readable and humane book for schools contains gems of wisdom from her wide experience of supporting bereaved children, with her advice presented in an accessible way for the non-specialist in the potentially problematic area of death.

John Holland

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.

NAPCE Journal: Pastoral Care in Education - Noel Purdy

This is a short but significant book. It allows the individual to think about their own experiences of loss over their lives and how they managed each situation and how they were supported in each one. I actually enjoyed reading it. As in all JKP books there is a comprehensive list of additional relevant publications and help organisations.

Chidlren's Webmag

This slim volume is a really worthwhile read for anyone... this book... is a very, very worthwhile one to read for anyone who has dealings with junior school children.

The Good Bookstall

Schools which buy this book, will obtain practical information and guidance about supporting children through the painful experience of death and bereavement. The book provides comprehensive information about death and bereavement and sets out how and why schools have an important role in supporting children at this time... the book will be invaluable in a school's planning of bereavement and loss policies; It would inform the content of an emotional health and well-being curriculum; and it also suggests how these sad events can be turned into a positive learning experience.

Grampian Child Bereavement Network

The book is very short and is written in an accessible style which should make it easier for busy teachers to find the time for additional reading. The use of case studies throughout the book helps to illustrate and personalise the topics discussed.

Bereavement Care