At an event held on 24 March at the Churchill War Rooms in London, Scotty’s Little Soldiers and The Royal British Legion revealed powerful new research highlighting the challenges faced by bereaved military children in UK schools.
Funded by Lloyds Patriotic Fund and the Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust, the research exposes the emotional impact of curriculum content that unintentionally triggers painful memories for children who have experienced the death of a parent who served in the British Armed Forces.
The funding also made the impactful event possible, bringing together policymakers, educators, and advocates to discuss the findings and explore necessary policy changes.
Key Findings Include:
- Over three-quarters (77%) of bereaved children and young people encountered lessons that directly related to the cause of their parent’s death or explicitly reminded them of their bereavement
- More than half (52%) faced multiple instances of potentially traumatic content in lessons
- Just over one in eight experienced distressing exam questions that reminded them of their grief
- Less than a third (31%) of families felt schools handled sensitive curriculum content in a supportive way
The report draws on insights from 190 bereaved military families and includes powerful testimonies, such as one young person’s experience:
“In physics, we had to learn about the effects that different bombs had on people. When I asked to leave, I wasn’t allowed because I might have a question about it in the GCSE. My dad was killed by a bomb in Afghanistan.”
Nikki Scott, Founder of Scotty’s Little Soldiers, said:
“Bereaved military children face challenges that often aren’t understood or acknowledged. Our research shows the need for policy change to ensure these young people receive the support they deserve throughout their education.”
Angela Kitching, Campaigns, Policy and Research Director at Royal British Legion, added:
“All children deserve a fair chance at school and too often bereaved children’s attainment and wellbeing is affected when they don’t receive enough warning about, or support to respond to curriculum content relating to war or sudden death. The Government have an excellent opportunity to address this through the Curriculum Review and by strengthening teacher training. We hope they listen to the voices of bereaved military children.”
