Death touches every school community. Children experience death in many ways, whether through losing a friend, a relative or a beloved pet.
From September 2026 revised relationships, sex and health education (RSHE) statutory guidance requires primaries to teach about change, loss and bereavement in age-appropriate ways, with secondary schools building on that foundation.
Yet death remains a difficult subject. Some of the teachers I work with tell me that they lack confidence, worrying about saying the wrong thing, causing distress or opening discussions they don’t feel equipped to support.
Existing why death literacy in schools matters: open discussion helps children and teachers to develop the language, confidence and understanding they need before a bereavement happens. It also underscores the importance of ensuring that conversations are safe and inclusive.
The and charities such as already provide guidance, resources and training to support teachers and build their confidence. Resources often use “distancing techniques”, which allow pupils to explore grief, loss and death through fictional characters, scenarios or examples without needing to disclose anything personal.
However, UK research has yet to explore how the for death and grief education will work in practice - particularly in relation to culturally diverse approaches.
My new is among the first to explore how culturally grounded approaches to death and grief education might support schools in implementing the new statutory requirement. It examines the Mexican Day of the Dead (Día de Muertos) and develops CPD and safeguarded classroom materials to complement existing resources.
These materials can support teaching within individual subjects or provide opportunities for across PSHE, MFL, English, art, food technology, RE and beyond, while broadening pupils’ understanding of how loss and remembrance are experienced across cultures.
But why the Day of the Dead?
Celebrated on 1-2 November in Mexico and beyond, Day of the Dead is shaped by indigenous traditions and Catholic influences. Through storytelling, altars, food, music and creative activities, families and communities celebrate and commemorate their loved ones.
Many British pupils are already familiar with the traditions through popular culture, including films such as The Book of Life and Coco, and public events led by some Mexican communities in the UK.
This combination of familiarity and cultural distance is particularly valuable: most pupils can recognise elements of Día de Muertos without participating in the tradition themselves, allowing them to explore death, grief and remembrance without beginning from personal disclosure.
Through initiatives developed with the Embassy of Mexico in London, I have worked with some primary but mainly secondary schools, teachers and more than 8,000 pupils across departments in England and Scotland. Commemorative activities have included building altars, writing poetry and stories, and making food and films.
Familiarity can provide an accessible starting point, but these activities are far more than creative homework. that creative approaches can support classroom exploration of sensitive topics such as loss and death.
Feedback from my research suggests that creative Day of the Dead activities can offer children alternative ways to express ideas about loss and remembrance that may be difficult to discuss directly.
But teachers can also help students to move beyond or commercialised imagery to understand the Day of the Dead’s cultural, religious and regional complexity. It is important that schools engage critically and respectfully: teachers can help students to understand how remembrance practices acquire meaning in new settings, and encourage reflection on the many ways communities respond to loss.
Although Día de Muertos is often associated with colour and celebration, it also acknowledges grief, longing and the enduring pain of loss.
As schools are implementing the new guidance, teachers need approaches that are culturally grounded, creative and safe. Día de Muertos is not a model for every conversation about loss, but it can widen pupils’ intercultural understanding of loss and remembrance while making sensitive learning feel more manageable for teachers.
Here are some good-practice tips for bringing the tradition into your lessons.
Teach context and acknowledge diversity
Explore different approaches to remembrance and grief rather than recreating traditions uncritically.
Not all Mexicans celebrate the ritual, and its practices vary across regions, communities and indigenous traditions. Its religious roots should be acknowledged, while recognising that some secular and culturally diverse communities embrace its focus on remembrance.
Pupils of all faiths and none can explore how people remember loved ones without being asked to adopt or disclose specific beliefs or rituals. The emphasis is on understanding remembrance and how it can be explored meaningfully by pupils from any background.
Use creativity purposefully
Creative expression can provide accessible routes into discussion on memory and loss.
Where possible, involve Mexican artists or communities to offer cultural authenticity, providing pupils access to lived cultural knowledge.
Prioritise reflection over disclosure
Children must not feel that they must share personal experiences. If a pupil discloses a bereavement, respond sensitively and connect them to the appropriate pastoral or bereavement support.
It’s helpful to plan lessons with input from your pastoral and safeguarding teams. Consider pupils affected by loss, and communicate with parents and carers in advance.
Finally, remember that teachers are not counsellors; the goal is safe and reflective learning, not therapy.
Jane Lavery is associate professor in Latin American studies at the University of Southampton. If you would like to find out more about the free CPD and available resources relevant to PSHE, MFL and other subjects, email her at j.e.lavery@soton.ac.uk
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