Using a storytelling intervention in schools to explore death, dying, and loss

Abstract

Purpose Experiencing bereavement in childhood can cause profound changes to developmental trajectories. This paper aims to evaluate the feasibility of implementing a public health intervention in schools to encourage pupils aged 12-15 years to independently explore ideas of death, dying, loss and end of life care in a structured and creative format. Design/methodology/approach A co-produced storytelling intervention was implemented in an independent school in Norwich, UK. Pupils wrote up to 1,000 words in response to the title, “I Wish We’d Spoken Earlier”. Their participation was voluntary and extra-curricular. Stakeholder feedback was used in addition to the submissions as a measure of acceptability, appropriateness, adoption and feasibility. Findings In total, 24 entries were submitted. Pupils demonstrated their ability to engage thoughtfully and creatively with the subject matter. Feasibility for the storytelling intervention was demonstrated. Importantly, the intervention also prompted family conversations around preferences and wishes for end of life care. Research limitations/implications To determine whether the intervention has psychological and social benefits will require further study. Practical implications Educational settings can be considered as anchor institutions to support a public health approach to end of life care. Originality/value The positive response from all stakeholders in delivering and supporting the intervention indicates that schools are a community asset that could be further empowered to support children and families affected by death, dying and loss.

The one thing guaranteed in life and yet they won’t teach you about it':

“…Stories can help children understand that everyone grieves differently, and teachers can also open up conversations about grief, death, and loss by encouraging pupils to research bereavement customs in other countries or different historical periods (Jackson & Colwell, 2002). Creative approaches can also provide a safe space for young people to explore these ideas: for example, Blake et al (2020) reported that secondary-school pupils in Norwich, England, were more confident in thinking and talking about death after taking part in a storytelling project about bereavement, and the St Christopher's Schools Programme ran 34 arts-based projects to bring together schools and hospices or care homes in London between 2005 and 2011 (Tsiris et al, 2011). Charities and organisations have created a variety of different lesson plans which help teachers 'distance the learning' through using stories (for example, Child Bereavement UK's 'Elephant's Tea Party' for learners aged 5-14 and many of the PSHE-Association-accredited Winston's Wish lesson plans for learners aged 5-16) or creative activities coupled with discussion questions (such as the online toolkit recently released by Child Bereavement UK in collaboration with Learning Grid for London, 'Having honest conversations about death and grief ', for learners aged 5-16).…”

Exploring support strategies and training needs for teachers in navigating illness, bereavement, and death-related challenges in the classroom: a scoping review supporting teachers in classroom grief and loss

“…However, school is a useful and versatile context to provide students with a sense of normality and a distraction from their illness or life situation, while providing long-term goals and a strong social connection (Ramos et al, 2018). Blake et al (2020) highlight the practical implications of considering educational settings as anchor institutions to support a public health approach to end-oflife care, as schools are valuable assets in supporting children and families affected by death, illness, and bereavement. In this regard, Wadley et al (2014) described the impact that prolonged absence from school can have on children, such as isolation from friends and disruption of learning.…”

“…In summary, the literature suggests the importance of treating children's grief with an approach that allows them to think and talk about their feelings and remember the person they lost. The nature of the recommended strategies allows for active engagement and creative exploration which appears to contribute to greater psychological preparedness and resilience in the face of death and loss, reducing the risk of negative developmental outcomes and complex grief (Blake et al, 2020).…”

“…• Use different resources to present and address the topic such as film-video forum, children's literature, music, humour, roleplaying, didactic projects, expert interviews, workshops, service-learning, drawing, narrative exercises, storytelling, time-out cards, school passport and others (Lowton and Higginson, 2003;Cortina and de la Herrán, 2008;Selfa et al, 2015;Ramos et al, 2016;Tresman et al, 2016;Ramos et al, 2018;Blake et al, 2020).…”

Grief in the school: A review of a participatory project in Argentina

“…Thus, in the last two decades, there has been a push to increase death and grief education in schools (even to make it mandatory, see Dawson et al, 2023) using different tools such as photovoice Bereavement: Journal of grief and responses to death • Vol. 3 (2024) • https://www.bereavementjournal.org (Raccichini et al, 2023), storytelling (Blake et al, 2020), psychodrama (Testoni et al, 2018), and music (Tsiris et al, 2011), to mention a few approaches.…”