Rationale

"Death and grief are very difficult to talk about for a lot of people"

Statistics collated prior to the coronavirus pandemic identify that 1 in 29 5-16-year-olds has been bereaved of a parent or sibling - that’s a pupil in every average class. This does not include those bereaved of a grandparent, other relative, friend or neighbour.

Covid-19 has impacted young people’s lives, and raised their awareness of death, but not so much their ability to talk about it. Many adults, including professionals, want to protect children from the reality of death and avoid talking about it as they worry that they will say the wrong thing or cause upset.

Many bereaved young people supported by Child Bereavement UK tell us that they would like the subject of death and grief to be included in their learning at school as they hope that this will encourage more open discussions, and help pupils and school staff to be aware of what it is like to be bereaved.