A young woman from Oxford is helping to launch a national education campaign after new findings revealed that most bereaved students feel let down by the support they receive at school.
Nell Davies-Small, a member of the Winston’s Wish Youth Team, is using her personal story of loss to highlight the urgent need for change as the charity unveils its new initiative, Ask Me: Education.
The campaign launches on 17 November to coincide with National Children’s Grief Awareness Week, calling on schools and educators across the UK to rethink how they support young people coping with bereavement.
At its heart is a simple but powerful demand: give bereaved students the right to be asked how they would like to be supported after the death of someone important to them.
Despite estimates suggesting there is at least one bereaved pupil in every classroom, there is currently no mandatory bereavement training for education professionals. Where policies do exist, they are often generic – creating a one-size-fits-all approach that fails to reflect the deeply personal nature of grief.
For Nell, the issue is deeply rooted in lived experience. Her dad died suddenly from brain cancer just weeks after she completed university, a loss that reshaped her day-to-day life.
Three months later, while searching for podcast support, she came across Winston’s Wish. “Listening to it, I felt like someone finally understood what I was going through,” she said. “Even though I couldn’t talk back, I felt seen for the first time since my dad died.”
Her graduation the day after her father’s funeral still stands out as a painful milestone. “I was surrounded by people taking photos with their parents, when I had just lost mine. I felt completely isolated and heartbroken that my dad wasn’t there to share it with me.”
Although her school years were supportive, Nell knows her experience is not universal. “This shouldn’t be luck. Every young person should feel supported and understood at school, especially when they’re grieving.”
As a Youth Ambassador helping shape the Ask Me: Education manifesto, Nell hopes the campaign will give teachers confidence to lead with empathy, not pressure. “Ask Me isn’t about adding to teachers’ workloads,” she said. “It’s about leading with empathy and kindness.”
Survey insights strengthen the call for change:
- 72% of bereaved students said they did not feel adequately supported.
- 79% rated the support received as 5 or less out of 10.
- 72% were never asked what support they needed.
Winston’s Wish is encouraging schools and education staff to sign the Ask Me Education Manifesto and adopt the new bereavement plan. More information can be found at winstonswish.org/askme.
