A pupil in my tutor group's father has a brain tumour. I have spoken to his mother, who told me that it is a grade 4 cancer. During the same phone call she told me that her husband is now home from hospital and preparing for his radio- and chemotherapy treatments.
While I don't have any real medical knowledge, I understand that grade 4 cancer of the brain is about the worst thing you can get. I believe, from what I have read, that this means that my pupil's father will die and that there may well be traumatic and frightening times ahead before he does die.
I want to be as supportive as possible to my pupil. He is in year 7, so I see him once a day. I don't know his parents well - I've only met his mother once.
I would like advice on ways to help. It was clear from my most recent conversation with my pupil's mother that she is keen to keep everything as normal as possible for the children and was being very strong and positive. I absolutely don't want to intrude on the family's way of handling such an awful thing.
So far, I have stuck to the line that my pupil can talk to me whenever he wants, but doesn't have to. I can make sure that practical things that get overlooked at home can get picked up at school, if necessary. I just don't know how else to help for the best. I get on well with my pupil, but he has not so far been the confiding type.
Any suggestions or information would be gratefully received.