Raising teachers' awareness
As reported by Sky News, the School of Education at St Mary's is at the forefront of efforts to increase teachers' awareness of, and confidence in, supporting children and young people who experience bereavement.
In collaboration with the charity, Child Bereavement UK, and St Mary's Centre for the Art of Dying Well, the works include developing bereavement awareness training for all primary and secondary trainee teachers at St Mary's. An evaluation study of the training published by the British Educational Research Association found that trainees reported significantly increased confidence in supporting children affected by bereavement. Consequently, bereavement awareness training is now core in the ITE provision at St Mary’s University and the CWE is active in furthering research and good practice in the area of death, bereavement, and grief in educational settings.
The issue, and the project, is discussed at greater length in episode 26 of our podcast series.
Bereavement in education summit
Professor Anna Lise Gordon hosted a Bereavement in Education Summit on 25 June 2024 at St Mary's University. The event attracted 100 delegates - teachers, school leaders, chaplains, charities, funeral directors, counsellors, hospices and others keen to learn more about bereavement in education. The focus of the event was three-fold: policy, curriculum and training.
Read the report
If you'd like to hear more about the summit, you can also listen to episode 42 of our podcast series.