Supporting pupils who have lost someone during the pandemic

When the research emerged in July last year estimating that at least 10 000 children have been bereaved of a primary caregiver across the UK due to the pandemic (Hillis et al, 2021), there was nothing.

No headlines, no awareness and once again children and young people's grief and experiences were quietly ignored.

When you consider that – according to estimates from the Childhood Bereavement Network (CBN, no date) – more than 50 000 children have had a parent, guardian or carer die from other causes over the last 20 months, it has never been so important to talk to our children and young people about their experiences and their grief.

Bereavement is a tricky subject to talk about. As a society, we don't talk about it often, and many people feel awkward discussing death, dying and bereavement with those closely affected. We don't have the right words to say, we feel uneasy, we don't want to cause further pain or grief.