Lessons in Loss - Primary Curriculum
Supporting the Statutory RSE Curriculum for Death, Dying, Bereavement and Loss
Teaching about death and bereavement is now a statutory part of RSE — yet many schools feel unsure where to begin. Our Primary Curriculum provides a complete, ready‑to‑use framework that helps you meet requirements while supporting children with compassion and clarity.
Every school will need to support children experiencing grief, loss or significant change. Creating a supportive environment means ensuring that children feel safe, listened to and confident that there are trusted adults around them who will understand and help.
Our Early Years curriculum introduces children to grief, loss and change gently through experiences they can understand and relate to. Across the year, children explore themes including losing something special, missing someone, new beginnings, changes in families, friendships, feelings, memories and other experiences of loss and change.
In the Autumn term, for example, children begin with familiar experiences such as losing a treasured object, missing someone special and coping with new situations. Through carefully written stories, discussion, play, creative activities and practical learning, children are encouraged to recognise feelings, develop empathy and begin to discover simple ways to find comfort and ask for help. Every lesson is designed specifically for young children, with age-appropriate language, engaging resources and opportunities to learn through talk, play and exploration.
Our Key Stage 1 curriculum builds on the foundations developed in Early Years, helping children explore grief, loss and change with greater understanding and confidence.
Across the year, children explore themes including friendships, family changes, separation, illness, bereavement, memories, emotions and ways of coping when life feels difficult or different.
In the Autumn term, children begin with relatable experiences such as tricky friendship moments, changes within families and the things or people that are important to them. Carefully written stories provide a safe starting point for discussion, helping children explore different perspectives and recognise how loss and change can affect themselves and others.
Through discussion, creative activities, reflection and practical learning, children continue to develop emotional language, empathy and an understanding of where they can find support when they need it.
Our Key Stage 2 curriculum builds on earlier learning to develop a deeper understanding of grief, bereavement, loss and change as children grow in maturity and independence. Across Lower and Upper Key Stage 2, children explore increasingly complex experiences, including bereavement, changing relationships, illness, difficult emotions, memories, worries, transitions and the ways grief can affect behaviour, concentration and everyday life.
Children begin to explore what grief means, how it can look and feel different for everyone, and how people can care for themselves and support others through difficult experiences. As they progress through Key Stage 2, learning develops to include more complex themes such as feeling different, changing responsibilities at home, managing powerful emotions and understanding that grief can change over time.
Our Upper Key Stage 2 curriculum enables children to explore grief, bereavement, loss and change in greater depth as children develop a more sophisticated understanding of themselves, other people and the world around them.
Across the year, children explore themes including grief and behaviour, wellbeing, feeling different, changing relationships and responsibilities, difficult emotions, concentration, memories and supporting others.
Through carefully written texts and real-life scenarios, children consider how the same loss can affect people differently, question assumptions about what grief should look like and explore how grief can change over time rather than following a predictable path.
Discussion, investigation, reflection and practical activities encourage children to develop empathy, emotional literacy and critical thinking, while building their confidence to talk about grief and loss and recognise when they or someone else may need support.
Our Key Stage 3 curriculum gives students opportunities to explore grief, loss and change with increasing depth, recognising that these experiences can affect relationships, identity, belonging and the way we see ourselves and others.
Across the curriculum, students encounter a wide range of losses, including bereavement and experiences that may not always be recognised as grief. Through carefully written texts and realistic scenarios, they consider experiences such as family change, imprisonment, estrangement, addiction and other significant changes that can affect young people and those around them.
Learning encourages students to examine stigma, assumptions and the reasons some forms of grief receive greater recognition and support than others. They consider different perspectives and explore how loss can influence emotions, behaviour, relationships and everyday life.
Through discussion, investigation, reflection and practical activities, students develop empathy, emotional literacy and critical thinking, while becoming more confident in recognising grief, challenging unhelpful assumptions and understanding when and where support may be needed.
Our Key Stage 4 curriculum enables young people to explore grief, bereavement and significant loss with greater maturity, considering the personal, social and emotional complexities that can surround these experiences.
Across the curriculum, young people examine a wide range of losses and consider how grief can affect identity, relationships, behaviour, choices and future expectations. Learning also explores experiences that may be hidden, misunderstood or receive little recognition and support.
Through realistic texts, case studies and challenging scenarios, young people examine stigma, social expectations and different perspectives on grief. They consider why some people may find it difficult to seek support, how our responses can help or hinder others, and the importance of avoiding assumptions about how somebody should grieve.
Discussion, analysis, reflection and practical activities encourage young people to think critically, communicate with sensitivity and develop the knowledge and confidence to support themselves and others through loss and change.
When schools create a culture where feelings can be talked about openly, questions are welcomed and children know where to turn for support, they are better placed to respond when difficult experiences arise.
Relationships are central to this. Children need adults who notice when something has changed, take time to listen and understand that grief can look different for every child. Changes in behaviour, concentration, confidence or friendships can all be ways that children communicate what they are experiencing.
Supporting staff is equally important. A shared understanding of grief, consistent age-appropriate language and clear approaches across the whole school help ensure that children receive the same compassionate response from the adults around them.
A planned approach to grief education can strengthen this further. By making conversations about grief, loss and change part of everyday learning, children develop emotional language, empathy and an understanding that asking for help is okay.
Strong partnerships with parents and carers also help create consistency between home and school, allowing information to be shared and children to receive the reassurance and support they need. Creating a supportive school is not about doing one big thing. It is about building a culture where children know they matter, feel heard and trust that the adults around them will be there when they need them.