Child bereavement in Humberside primary schools

Abstract

Summary This short report presents the findings of an investigation into child bereavement in Humberside primary schools. The research was targeted at an area that can be both taboo and all too frequently overlooked. The study sought to answer a number of basic questions such as frequency of child bereavement, the structures schools have to cope with bereavement and how they rated the subject in these busy times. The problems schools encountered with bereaved children, from where they sought help, and how this help was rated, were also questions that the research intended to answer. The bereavement training received, and the bereavement training that was perceived to be needed, were also issues examined. Surprisingly, it was found that over 70 per cent of schools in the study had a bereaved child on roll. Schools rated the area of bereavement highly, especially those with a recent bereavement, and sought help particularly from the church and social services. The majority of schools with a recent bereavement reported psychological or physical problems with bereaved children, and a ‘training gap’ was identified, as was a need for a resource base.