Bereavement awareness in schools: from a personal loss to national change

When John Adams was 12, his mother, Maria, died. He remembers how difficult it was to find the words for what had happened and how he felt. Years later, as a funeral director meeting families at Perry & Phillips, he saw how often children were left out of conversations about death because adults wanted to protect them.

John believed children deserved honest, age-appropriate conversations, along with the reassurance that there is no single way to grieve. In October 2022, while President of the National Association of Funeral Directors, he launched a petition calling for death, dying and bereavement to be taught in schools.

The petition received 11,322 signatures. Families, teachers, bereavement charities and funeral professionals helped carry the conversation forward. The campaign was covered by BBC News, and on 2 December 2024, MPs debated bereavement education in Parliament, sharing personal experiences and recognising John’s work.

A national change from September 2026

In July 2025, the Department for Education published revised guidance for relationships, sex and health education in England. It came into effect on 1 September 2026.

For the first time, the guidance explicitly includes bereavement in the primary health education content. Children are to learn that change and loss can bring a range of feelings, that grief is a natural response to bereavement, and that everyone grieves differently. Secondary schools build on the knowledge taught at primary level.

This is a significant step. It gives schools across England a shared starting point for talking about loss before a child has to find their way through it alone. John’s hope is that these lessons will help children understand their own feelings, show kindness to a grieving friend and know where to turn for support.

Relevant articles:

Bridgnorth man credits grief education campaign to mum’s death – BBC News

Bridgnorth man ‘delighted’ grief lessons due to begin in schools – BBC News

The conversation is reaching further

The campaign began in Bridgnorth, but its message has travelled well beyond England. John has shared the story with colleagues in Australia and New Zealand, where people are exploring how bereavement awareness could be developed for their own schools. Following his presentation in Sydney, Australian groups began discussing possible approaches. The Funeral Directors Association of New Zealand has also described a growing movement for grief education and invited John to share the experience of the English campaign.

In Wales, John has begun conversations about what the English experience might offer within the distinct Curriculum for Wales. He has also been invited to share the campaign with funeral professionals in South Africa. Each place will make its own decisions, but these conversations show a growing willingness to help children understand grief with openness and care.

For John, the purpose has remained the same throughout: no child should feel that death is something they cannot ask about, or that grief is something they must face in silence.