Having honest conversations about death and grief

This resource is designed to give school and college staff confidence to talk openly and honestly about death and grief with children and young people.  

It aims to support children and young people’s long-term wellbeing and management of grief throughout their lives. 

It contains guidance for staff and activities for use with pupils, including videos, conversation starters and reflective questions. 

There are separate activities tailored to both primary and secondary levels. 

Using this resource

This resource is designed for: 

• use by mental health leads working with students aged 5 to 19. 

• use by staff working in primary, secondary schools, colleges (sixth form and FE) and special schools. 

Learning outcomes

This resource addresses the following learning outcomes: 

• Facilitate development of school staff, identifying critical training and ensuring that all staff can recognise and understand the process to respond to mental health concerns. 
• Signpost and increase and promote awareness of resources to support staff.
• Develop, with others, a cross-curricular approach to promote mental health and wellbeing.