Shropshire schools benefit from bereavement workshop in Bridgnorth

The workshop, held at St.Leonards School in Bridgnorth, was hosted by Child Bereavement UK, a charity that supports families and educates professionals when a child grieves and when a child dies.

Tracey Boseley, Child Bereavement UK’s Head of Education Sector Support, led the workshop.

Tracey said: “With one in 29 school-aged children being bereaved of a parent or sibling – that’s a child in every average class – it is important that schools can provide the sensitive support that their pupils need at a very challenging time in their lives.

"By running this workshop we aimed to help give teachers and other school staff in Shropshire the confidence to help support pupils in their care, and to promote a bereavement-aware culture in schools.”

The workshop covered theories of grief and drew on the experiences of young people, families and education professionals.

It was funded using a legacy donation which was secured by Shropshire Funeral Director John Adams, whose firm Perry & Phillips Funeral Directors is based in Bridgnorth.

Mr Adams has recently published a book for ‘Don’t Tell the Children’ to help inspire people to talk openly about death and bereavement. He also spearheaded a campaign to add content on death, dying and bereavement to the national curriculum, which secured more than 11,000 signatures.

Mr Adams, who is Funeral Industry Advisor to Child Bereavement UK, said: "Society finds it difficult to talk about death and dying but it is important that children have the skills to comprehend and manage loss. That’s why I’m delighted to have been able to secure funding to enable Child Bereavement UK to run this workshop for school staff, ensuring more pupils in Shropshire can build resilience around a difficult subject and feel prepared for bereavement which at some point we will all have to face.”

To find out more about Child Bereavement UK’s training and support for schools, email: schools@childbereavementuk.org