Managing Bereavement in the Classroom: A Conspiracy of Silence?

Abstract

This article reports the impact of students' bereavement and their subsequent management in primary and secondary school classrooms in Southeast London. Thirteen school staff working in inner-city schools took part in in-depth interviews that focused on the impact of bereaved children on the school and how teachers responded to these children.All respondents had previously had contact with a local child bereavement service that aims to provide support, advice, and consultancy to children, their parents, and teachers.Interviews were audiotaped, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using ATLAS-ti. Three main themes were identified from analysis of interview data. Firstly, British society, culture, local communities, and the family were significant influences in these teachers' involvement with bereaved students. Secondly, school staff managed bereaved students through contact with other adults and using practical classroom measures such as ''time out'' cards and contact books. Lastly, teachers felt they had to be strong, even when they were distressed. Surprise was expressed at the mature reaction of secondary school students to deaths of others. The article recommends that future research needs to concentrate on finding the most effective way of supporting routinely bereaved children, their families, and teachers.

A comparative study of the child bereavement and loss responses and needs of schools in Hull, Yorkshire and Derry/Londonderry, Northern Ireland

“…Perhaps this fits with Lowton and Higginson's (2003) finding that teachers are concerned about doing the 'right thing' in response to childrens' distress. School staff recognise that family breakdown or the death and loss of a loved one can have an impact on the mental and emotional health of children and that the appropriate response can make a positive difference, although as McGovern and Barry (2000) have noted, many teachers feel uncomfortable in raising the topic with a child.…”

“…Teachers also need to be comfortable with the topic of death to help children (Cullinan, 1990) and further development to provide input to teachers who are training is needed (Rowling & Holland, 2000). While teachers may successfully relate to a bereaved child (Lowton & Higginson, 2003), they may still require training to help to build confidence, skills and awareness.…”

“…In Ireland McGovern and Barry (2000) found that death was a 'taboo' subject and teachers and parents were uncomfortable discussing it with children. In their London study Lowton and Higginson (2003) found that many staff in school voiced concerns about doing the 'right thing', suggesting that they lacked confidence and training. This was echoed in Holland's *Corresponding author.…”

“…The management of loss, grief and bereavement in schools has been highlighted in studies in both Ireland (McGovern & Barry, 2000;Tracey, 2006) and England (Holland, 1993;Lowton & Higginson, 2003). Although the provision of training for bereavement support has increased over the past 20 years (Holland, 2001), providing care and support to bereaved children in school is still 'an issue for the majority of school staff in the UK and other countries' (Lowton & Higginson, 2003, p. 736).…”

The Psycho-social Impact of fatal Child Drowning in Queensland and the Availability and Use of Support

“…There have been a number of studies identifying what educators can do to assist the grieving child in the school environment (Goldman 1998;Rowling, Holland 2000;Lowton, Higginson 2003;Cohen, Mannarino 2011;Heath, Cole 2012;Jenkins, Dunhan, Contreras-Bloomdahl 2011). Having a plan in place for when students experience grief is recommended as well as more specialised training for health professionals (Jenkins,Dunhan,Contreras-Bloomdahl 2011).…”