I, a former student who faced the gruelling ordeal of bereavement while preparing for my GCSEs in June 2023, advocate for this pressing issue. When I was studying for my exams, my father tragically passed away, and I found myself unexpectedly the next of kin. Despite the turmoil, I sat through most of my exams during this period, a time when I was in dire need of support.

Thousands of children and young people like me face bereavement each year. According to a 2016 study by Winston's Wish charity, 1 in 29 5-16-year-olds have been bereaved of a parent or sibling - that's approximately one in every class. These numbers could be higher as they do not consider students who have lost any other close family member or friend.

Schools play an indispensable role in our society. They should feature support systems to aid students grappling with grief, especially during such critical academic events like major exams. However, the current system often falls short, providing only a paltry 5% in special circumstances, and this then leads people like myself to feel worthless and feel like we have been failed by the education system. 

We urge the government, institutional bodies, and schools to implement mandatory bereavement support programmes, focusing not only on immediate aftermath but also on long-term mental health support and academic accommodations for students affected. Schools need to foster an environment sensitive to a student's next-of-kin responsibilities, and should provide adequate mental health support when needed.

I also urge the government to reconsider the choice of giving the very very low percentage for marks on all GCSE papers, the 5% is across the board from being sick and not being able to attend your exams, to losing a parent whilst sitting exams. 

We request a comprehensive reform of the existing policies to enable affected students like myself to thrive acadically and personally despite the pains of loss. Please, sign this petition and support the call for mandatory bereavement support in our schools, and for the 5% to be increase for other students who have to go through so heartbreaking like myself.