Eight bereaved young people met the Prime Minister’s wife Akshata Murty at 10 Downing Street recently, to discuss their ideas of how to make positive changes within the education system. The group of young people are all members of Scotty’s Little Soldiers, a charity which champions and provides a voice for bereaved military children and young people.
The group spoke to Mrs Murty about the need for schools and teachers to be given appropriate guidance to enable them to support pupils who have experienced bereavement. For instance, it can be triggering to open an exam paper and to unexpectedly come across a question relating to war and death, which can have a negative impact on an exam result.
Brooke Scott, 15, said: “It was a very proud moment to represent members of Scotty’s and it filled us with a lot of emotions, especially when we talked about what has happened to us personally. I think having options within classes and exams is something that needs to be re-looked at for bereaved forces children, so I hope the things we discussed will help other young people.”
Nikki Scott, founder of Scotty’s Little Soldiers, said: “Bereaved military children can face a lot of challenges, especially within their education journey. Ensuring they are sensitively supported in their education is really important, so it’s been a great opportunity for members of Scotty’s Council to raise this with Mrs Murty on behalf of all of Scotty’s members. “I was really proud of them for speaking so openly and honestly about their experiences. They also spoke with such passion and pride about their ideas of how to make changes so that other bereaved children don’t experience the same situations as themselves.”