Objective: This article offers a framework to guide schools in developing a compassionate culture. Using a social constructionist/critical perspective, five spheres of work are identified to help schools achieve this goal. Framing death, dying and bereavement from a health promoting perspective, they involve challenging current cultural perceptions, creating a culture of support, creating a grief-informed culture, establishing a culture of reflection and reflexivity, and developing a whole school plan. Setting: Eight rural primary school communities in central Victoria, Australia. Method: Constructivist grounded theory with interviews and analysis occurring concurrently, allowing categories to develop alongside new questions to explore participants' thinking and priorities. Results: Participants' insights, knowledge and priorities fostered understanding and led to the five strategies for change that underpin this framework. Conclusion: Study participants' desire for a societal, cultural shift in how to understand death, dying and bereavement issues in school communities serves as an important foundation for change.