Least said, soonest mended?: Responses of primary school teachers to the perceived support needs of bereaved children

Abstract

Every 22 minutes in the United Kingdom, a child is bereaved of a parent, making up some 24,000 a year. An even greater number experience the loss of a grandparent. There is a limited, but growing, body of research into the impact of grief and bereavement on young children and how their support needs might be met. This article expands upon research with primary school teachers articulating something of their knowledge and experience in encountering bereaved children. The mixed methodology research includes quantitative and qualitative data that incorporate teachers’ responses to the fictionalised narrative of a bereaved 6-year-old. The discussion elucidates teachers’ confidence – or reluctance – in broaching the topic, highlighting the lack of specific training within teacher education for understanding and supporting bereaved children. Compassionate understanding is offered to some children, but many others detect a wall of silence, which, when encountered in early childhood, can have detrimental consequences for their personal, social and academic development. The article calls for policy and practice that will ameliorate this situation.