It seems that there’s a prevalent societal fear of death and dying. It doesn’t take long to spot the signs of a cultural Peter Pan phenomena. We buy lotions and potions to help us stay young. We often habitually numb our minds and our bodies to avoid emotional and physical pain and ultimately, to avoid the one thing that is inevitable for all of us, death.
However, the Bible is unabashed on this topic. In Ecclesiastes 3: 1 – 8, we read that
So not the ‘stay young at any cost’ pervasive attitude of our society, but instead very definitely, an ordained ‘time to be born and a time to die.’
As much as many people try to avoid thinking about it, death is undeniably a fact of life, and it’s important for children to know about it and be able to have open and honest conversations about it. Death is God’s plan for the end of our human lives on earth. But Christians believe it is also the beginning of life in a new way with Jesus in heaven, so there is much hope that goes hand in hand with death.
Knowing that God’s hand is over all aspects and every ‘season’ of our lives can bring comfort and peace, and yet it is still, rightly, very sad when we lose someone we love.
The two new resources available to help primary schools navigate the difficult topics of death, dying and grief are:
Because of Jesus
A Collective Worship prayer and assembly resource, written specifically to support school communities in the light of the death of a community member or someone close. From the foundational understanding that we have hope ‘because of Jesus’ and how He died and rose again, this resource offers a chance for school communities to gather together and acknowledge the death and loss, to hold space for the feelings and memories it might evoke and to pray for the deceased and their family.
Because of Jesus
This prayer and assembly resource has been written specifically to support school communities in the light of the death of a community member or someone close e.g. member of staff/child/child's parent/parish priest.
Go to AssemblyA Time for Everything
A Life to the Full resource, differentiated for use across KS1 and KS2, which discusses the fact of death as part of the human life cycle and Christian beliefs about how death is not the end. It also explores the complexity of grief, and considers ways in which children and adults alike can be sensitive and supportive to people who are grieving, including non-death grief.
Session 1: Beginnings and Endings
The previous session in this unit considered how God created us to follow the human cycle of life, and we are loved by Him at every stage. This session builds on this foundation by introducing the beginning and ending points of the human life cycle: birth and death, the latter of which is the main focus of the session.
Go to Session
Session 2: A Time For Everything
The previous session in this unit explored birth and life before it; this session discusses death and life after it. Framed within the Christian understanding of eternal life, this session helps pupils to consider and communicate about death in a direct yet gentle way, reflect compassionately on the complexities of grief and consider ways to support themselves and others.
Go to SessionBoth of these resources have been created with great care: they are direct, yet gentle. Each resource also provides a document for teachers who will be leading the session offering guidance about how and when to use the resource, what kind of approach to take, tips on communication (including what not to say!) and advice on questions that might come up.
We hope these resources will be useful to schools, whether as part of the curriculum, or as a source of comfort and guidance through a bereavement in your school community.
It’s important to remember that broaching the topic of death can be very painful for adults too, often because of their own lived experiences of bereavement and grief. For some, even reading this article will be difficult. If this topic raises difficult emotions and thoughts for you and you’re looking for some support, a good starting place might be this document from Cruse.
Related content:
Receiving God’s Hope this Lent
With Lent only a few days away, let’s take a more personal approach to the Jubilee theme of hope.
Read More
Human Dignity and the Protected Characteristics
What insights does the recent declaration on human dignity offer for teachers of RSE?
Read More
The Heart of the Matter
What can Pope Francis’s encyclical Dilexis Nos teach us about Catholic RSE?
Read More
Statement from Ten Ten Resources
A recent negative assessment of our Life to the Full programme by the organisation Voice of the Family has prompted us to reflect again on our vision and mission.
Read More
Let’s Talk About Smartphones
It’s hard to miss the numerous news articles, social media posts, documentaries and books discussing the impact of smartphones on the lives of young people.
Read More
What’s new for 2024-2025 from Ten Ten Resources?
Read about the latest subscription news and updates
Read More
Prayer and Liturgy: Loving Jesus
Find out more about the rebranding of our Collective Worship subscription and what exciting new features it will include!
Read More
Gender Questioning Children in Schools and RSHE
Exploring the new draft Government guidance
Read More
Where to find resources that support safeguarding…
… in Life to the Full and Life to the Full Plus!
Read More
7 Key Areas For Consideration in Life to the Full Primary
Read more about how we have expanded our Key Decisions across the Life to the Full programme
Read More
Why is pornography a problem?
On Thursday 19th October 2023 Ten Ten Resources will be live-streaming a discussion session for parents and carers of children in KS2 and KS3 on the subject of pornography. Commissioned by the Catholic Education Service, this session is available free of charge and will be live streamed at 9.15am, 3.30pm and 6.00pm. Here, Ten Ten’s CPD Leader Nicola Sweetman tells us why parents should be encouraged to discuss pornography with their children.
Read More
What’s new for Life to the Full Primary?
Keep track of the latest changes in Life to the Full/Plus
Read More
175 years of celebrating Education Sunday
Free resources to help you celebrate in school and connect with your local parish
Read More
Collective Worship resources for Autumn 2023…
…Autumn Overview and Music for Worship now available, plus a fantastic new CW resource on the way for EYFS!
Read More
Celebrating Two Great Feast Days of the Church
Check out our new resources to help you celebrate Corpus Christi and Saints Peter and Paul in your school
Read More
Subscription Packages and Loyalty Discounts for 2023/4
Discover how bundling your Life to the Full, CPD and Collective Worship subscriptions will give you amazing savings!
Read More
Life to the Full Plus – How it Fits
How our new add-on integrates with Life to the Full Primary?
Read More
Summer Term Collective Worship
Find out what’s coming up in Collective Worship after Easter!
Read More
Pupil-presented drama
Have you ever wondered how to get the best out of pupil presented drama? Check out our top tips!
Read More
New content: ‘FGM’ and ‘Death and Grief’
Find out more about our new resources ‘FGM’ and ‘Death and Grief’ for Life to the Full, along with important guidance for SLT and class teachers…
Read More
Collective Worship archive
“Help! I can’t find that assembly from last summer that talked about…?!” Now you can, via our new Content Library!
Read More
“How many times do you need to be reminded?”
What is a spiral curriculum and how can the Life to the Full programme be considered one?
Read More
Collective Worship Parent Portal – Available Now!
Find out how we are further supporting prayer at home…
Read More
The Jesse Tree Journey Has Begun!
Thank you to the amazing children who helped to create this resource…
Read More
The Jesse Tree: From Creation to Christmas
We’re producing our very own Jesse Tree resource for Advent 2022 - and we’re very excited about it!
Read More
CPD – Watch again
Did you know that we now have a ‘watch again’ function for our CPD sessions?
Read More
One Million Children Praying the Rosary
On Tuesday 18th October, you are invited to join a worldwide community of prayer!
Read More
Collective Worship – Links to Home
Share with parents the joy of praying with their children…
Read More
A rubbish dump, a beautiful lady and some old bones…
What do these three things have in common?
Read More
Life to the Full Primary: Is it PSHE?
We are often asked: “Does ‘Life to the Full’ cover the national curriculum for PSHE?” This is a question which doesn’t have a simple yes/no answer!
Read More
Is Your School In Wales?
If the answer is ‘yes’, then you may be interested to learn how we are working with the Catholic Education Service Wales to help you implement the new statutory Guidance and Code for RSE.
Read More
St Bernadette Relics Tour and Ten Ten Resources
We are delighted to be an official partner of the St Bernadette Relics Tour…
Read More
Should Schools Consult With Parents About RSHE Every Year?
Let’s have a look at what the DfE says and how you can fulfil this through your ‘Life to the Full’ subscription…
Read More
Our Pilgrimage to Walsingham: ‘England’s Nazareth’
One small ‘yes’ can change the course of history…
Read More
Have You Noticed Our New Collective Worship Icons?
Have a read to find out what these icons mean for you when you’re leading prayer with your pupils…
Read More
CPD Sessions for the Start of the New Academic Year…
Whether you need to familiarise returning staff with programme updates or you need to get new staff up to speed, we’ve got sessions for you starting on 1st September...
Read More
Hub Highlights
Looking back over this academic year, we’ve had so many great articles to share with you through the Teacher Hub that we’ve decided to compile some of the most popular to share with you again in case you missed them the first time round!
Read More
What’s New For 2022-23?
The first thing you will notice at the start of the new academic year is that we will have a new website. We have been working with some wonderful website designers and developers to address some of the key issues that our users have fed back. We hope that our new website will improve your user experience and the way you access the content.
Read More
A Prayer for Father’s Day
For better or worse, a father’s influence on their child is profound.
Read More
Life and Death in Rome
Everywhere you turn in Rome there are joyful signs of life and sobering reminders of death! Rome: a bustling city, with rich architecture, art, history and open-air opera. Delicious aromas of espresso and the flavours of pizza and gelato – a feast for the senses! Here in the midst of all this hustle and bustle of life, lies the home and much history of Catholicism.
Read More
Have You Seen Our New CPD Package?
Due to the amazing success of our CPD events this year, we are delighted to announce…
Read More
Ideas For Funding Your Ten Ten Resources Subscription
Is renewing your Ten Ten Resources subscription a difficult decision because of financial challenges?
Read More
Now Is The Time To Resubscribe
Find out how to renew your subscription here… Did you know that most Life to the Full subscriptions expire on 31st July 2022? It is the same case with the majority of Combined Collective Worship and Life to the Full subscriptions. To maintain access and to prepare for the new academic year in September, schools need to renew.
Read More
Deaf Awareness Week and Beyond
‘Deaf Awareness Week’ and how we’re working to remove barriers to access across our programmes…
Read More
Many Routes, One Destination: Our Pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela
Holy smoke! It’s a long way to Santiago de Compostela!
Read More
A Round of Applause for Our Pilgrim Guides
There were so many enthusiastic teachers who applied for their children to have the opportunity to be Pilgrim Guides for our Ten Ten Year of Pilgrimage – but only three could be chosen…
Read More
‘It is love that has explained everything to me’
‘It is love that has explained everything to me,’ is a quotation from St John Paul II, but what did teachers from around the country think about learning about his Theology of the Body?
Read More
Communicating with Parents About RSHE
What does the Government and the Church say about engaging with parents about RSHE and how does Ten Ten Resources enable schools to support parents?
Read More
Our Pilgrimage to Jerusalem
During our Ten Ten Year of Pilgrimage there will be many experiences and encounters but perhaps none so dramatic as Holy Week: Our Pilgrimage to Jerusalem – the final leg of Our Pilgrimage to the Cross. To use a fairground analogy, it’s a rollercoaster!
Read More
Sculptures, Dragons and Planets: Other Resources in April
April might be disrupted by the school holidays, but we still have lots of ‘Other Resources’ to share with you…
Read More
Other Resources: Does What It Says On The Tin
In March, we have a plethora of ‘Other Resources’ to share with you…
Read More
#PrayforUkraine
In response to the ongoing situation in Ukraine, we have created a prayer resource freely available for use in schools across the country.
Read More
Spot the Difference: Two Versions of our Daily Prayers!
Hint: There are 5 differences in the pictures below. Can you spot them all?
Read More
Warning Children About Pornography
How young is too young to warn children about pornography?
Read More
Map Your Journey
Do you know where we’re travelling to on our virtual Ten Ten Year of Pilgrimage?
Read More
Religion Is Booming On Social Media
Two thousand years before social media was a ‘thing’ Jesus was trend setting and getting people to follow Him!
Read More
Keeping Children Safe in Education
Many of our colleagues in primary schools have been keen to know …
Read More
Ten Ten Year of Pilgrimage
Over the past 18 months, the journeys that we might normally have made have often been thwarted…
Read More
Saints and Sinners
“The only difference between the saint and the sinner is that every saint has a past, and every sinner has a future.” Oscar Wilde
Read More
A Day for Everything: International Day for Persons of Disability
Did you know that 15th November is ‘Clean Out Your Refrigerator Day’? Or that 25th August is ‘Kiss and Make Up Day’? Or that the whole of April is dedicated to ‘Straw Hat Month’?!
Read More
(The Pope’s) Sex Education
No, this isn’t the Pope’s exclusive review of the popular Netflix series ‘Sex Education’.
Read More
Ten Ten’s Guidance on Protected Characteristics
Ten Ten has published guidance which provides a summary of the expectation on schools to teach about the Protected Characteristics and guidance on how we support Catholic primary and secondary schools in this teaching through our programme, Life to the Full.
Read More
The Unexpected Guest
You all know that Advent is a season of waiting and preparation but what is it exactly that you’re waiting for?
Read More
Standard vs Super
If you came here expecting an in-depth character analysis of Clark Kent and Superman across the entire franchise, I’m afraid you’ll be sorely disappointed. (Sorry-not-sorry about the deliberately misleading picture and title).
Read More
One Kind Word
Bullying is not funny, I think we’d all agree on that. Therefore, I was quite surprised to find that bullying related humour is a thing!
Read More
Addressing Gender Stereotypes
“Hmmm… it looks like a tampax advert!” This was the response of my male friend (on more than one occasion!) when we were discussing the colours on a poster for events we were organising at university.
Read More
Finding the ‘Hallow’ in Halloween
On the eve of All Hallows or as most of us know it, Halloween – children and adults dress in skeleton, witch or ghoul costumes, surrounded by cobwebs, images of graveyards and terrifying accessories to celebrate the seasonal trick or treat fest with sugar highs and scary frights!
Read More
Key Decisions
In creating the Life to the Full programme we have tried to pitch the resources at an age-appropriate level for children within each learning stage.
Read More
New CPD Courses
We are delighted to announce that we have created a number of exciting new CPD opportunities for both subscribers and non-subscribers in the areas of Collective Worship and RSHE.
Read More
Sharing Faith With the Whole World
Did you know no matter what country you are in, the readings from Scripture will be the same in every Catholic Church throughout the world?
Read More
Relationship Watch
There’s something in us all that is intrigued by human relationships - how they work, how they don’t, and how they thrive or nose-dive under certain pressures of life.
Read More
Progression of Skills Documents & More
All around the world this week, people have been amazed and inspired by Zheng Tao, arguably one of the most skillful athletes to walk the face of the earth.
Read More
The Year of St Joseph
On Saturday 1 May 2021, we celebrated the second Feast Day for St Joseph, which focuses on his inspiring qualities as a worker. This is especially important this year, as Pope Francis has proclaimed this year ‘The Year of Joseph’.
Read More