Every primary and secondary school on the Isle of Man is set to receive bereavement support resources as part of a new initiative by Cruse Bereavement Support Isle of Man.

The charity said the resources, funded through a grant from the Manx Lottery Trust, are designed to help teachers and school staff support children and young people following the death of someone significant in their lives.

Each school will receive a toolkit and a selection of books aimed at increasing staff confidence in supporting bereaved pupils and helping children better understand and manage their grief.

The charity said the death of a significant person is recognised as an ‘adverse childhood experience’, and can have a lasting impact on a child's wellbeing.

The initiative comes ahead of changes to education guidance in the UK, where grief and bereavement education became a statutory requirement within Relationships, Sex and Health Education (RSHE) guidance from July 2025, with full implementation expected by September 2026.

Cruse Bereavement Support Isle of Man's Children and Young People Bereavement Specialists, Claire Brew and Laura Derbyshire, work with schools across the island and will oversee the distribution of the new resources.

Cruse Chief Executive, Mary Doyle, commented: ‘We are ahead of the curve with this curriculum change in the UK by getting bereavement resources to every school, and are hopeful that the books will be an invaluable resource to staff and to those children and young people who are experiencing grief and are unsure of their emotions and feelings.

‘They will help these young people to understand that they are not alone and have somewhere to turn when someone has died.

‘We are very grateful to Manx Lottery Trust for this funding under our HUG (Helping Understand Grief) project – these tangible items will make a big difference.’