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In order to increase understanding and normalise conversations about death, dying and bereavement, governments in each UK nation must commit 6p per person to help develop, resource and evaluate cross-sector, collaborative initiatives

The UK Commission on Covid Commemoration’s final report, published in September 2023, included a recommendation on supporting an annual Day of Reflection, to remember those who died and were bereaved during the pandemic. We are still awaiting the Government’s response to the report.

In December 2024 a Petition Debate was debated in Parliament calling for content on death, dying and bereavement to be added to the national curriculum.

All schools and other education settings must be required to provide age-appropriate opportunities for children and young people to learn about coping with death and bereavement as part of life.

Following submissions by UKCB steering group partners, the Department for Education included new content on grief education in its proposed revisions to the Health and Relationships curriculum issued under the previous government in May 2024. The new government launched a Curriculum and Assessment Review, which steering group partners submitted evidence to, highlighting the need for grief education.

In Northern Ireland Marie Curie launched a report in November 2024 titled Compassionate School Communities: Embedding a Culture and Practice of Grief Education and Bereavement Support in Educational Settings. This report- the culmination of over three years of work aimed at raising awareness of childhood grief and bereavement - gathered evidence to support and strengthen school-based loss and bereavement information and support for pupils. Encouragingly, the report and its recommendations have also been endorsed by the Education Minister

Compassionate School Communities