Children as young as six are taking knives into class - as murdered schoolboy's family condemns 'shocking' new figures
- Are knives a problem at YOUR child's school? Email elizabeth.haigh@dailymail.co.uk
Children as young as six are taking knives into schools, new data shows, as the mother of murdered teenager Harvey Willgoose condemned the 'shocking' findings.
Some 1,304 offences involving knives or other sharp objects were recorded at schools and sixth forms in 2024, with ten per cent of these committed by primary school children, who are aged 11 or younger.
Among the incidents reported last year was a six-year-old who took a flick knife into class and told teachers: 'I have a plan... I am going to kill [name of another pupil].'
In most cases involving under 10s, alternative agencies to the police become involved due to the children being under the age of criminal responsibility.
Caroline Willgoose, whose 15-year-old son Harvey was murdered by a fellow pupil at All Saints Catholic High School in Sheffield in February, has said children are 'going to school frightened' as a result of knives being taken onto school grounds.
The new data is a result of a BBC FOI request to police forces in England and Wales.
It comes amid an epidemic of violence in British classrooms which saw almost 100,000 violent offences recorded in schools from 2021 to 2024.
Just last week it was reported that an eight-year-old child brought a knife to their school in Suffolk.
Harvey Willgoose, 15, died from a stab wound to the heart when he was attacked at All Saints Catholic High School in Sheffield
Caroline Willgoose, Harvey's mother, said her son had been left scared to attend school after discovering classmates were carrying knives
Harvey's school is now facing questions over its failure to act on a series of warning signs about the escalating knife culture among pupils
The child, from Year 4, brought the weapon to Elmswell Community Primary School and was found with the blade around lunchtime on September 26.
In a letter to parents, school management said staff were taking the incident 'extremely seriously' and reassured them that no pupils came to any harm.
According to the new data, more than a third of the 41 police forces to respond found that knife offences had increased last year compared to 2023.
The majority, around 80 per cent, were committed by male pupils, with male victims of violent offences also outnumbering female victims.
Incidents included a six-year-old who was found with a meat cleaver and a five-year-old who took a ten-inch kitchen knife into school 'to show his friends'.
And Kent Police responded to an incident involving 'malicious wounding' which involved a four-year-old with a knife at a school.
Blades brought in across all age groups included machetes, butterfly knives, flick knives and swords.
As well as very young children, schools safety campaigners have also raised concerns about high-profile crimes in recent years involving teenagers stabbing, and even killing, others on school premises.
CCTV released by police shows the boy pushing Harvey in the corridor before the murder
Harvey's mother Ms Willgoose previously told how her son had been afraid to attend school after becoming aware that classmates were carrying knives.
Harvey was stabbed twice in the chest on February 3 by a fellow 15-year-old pupil, who was convicted of murder in August.
The killer and Harvey had argued over Snapchat in the days leading up to the murder, when Harvey stuck up for one his friends.
It culminated with the defendant warning Harvey in a private message on the morning of the attack: 'If u wan beef we can hav it [sic].'
The school is now facing questions over its failure to act on a series of warning signs about the boy's murderous potential, which Harvey's family believe could have prevented the killing.
The boy was not searched when he arrived that day despite being at the centre of a knife scare a week earlier, and the school knowing he had a history of possessing dangerous weapons.
Just one hour before his death, Harvey told a teacher the defendant was acting like he had a knife hidden in his jacket.
But she failed to raise the alarm and tragically, the schoolboy was dead within the hour.
Liz Hopkin, who was injured in a knife attack by a 13-year-old girl at Ysgol Dyffryn Aman in Wales has said she could never return to the classroom
Drama and Welsh teacher Fiona Elias, who was stabbed first and Ms Hopkin tried to defend
The knife used by the 13-year-old during the attack, which also left a fellow pupil injured
Police at Ysgol Dyffryn Aman, which was put into lockdown as the attacker was contained and the two injured teachers and pupil were treated
Ms Willgoose, 51, told the BBC: 'I always thought knives was a gang-culture type of thing. Never in a million years would I have thought there were knives inside school.'
She added: 'I can't describe the pain... we need to get into schools and educate kids of the seriousness and the pure devastation that carrying knives can bring.'
Harvey's death came less than a year after a 13-year-old girl attacked two teachers and a fellow pupil with a knife at Ysgol Dyffryn Aman, Ammanford, Carmarthenshire, in April 2024.
The girl, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was found guilty of three counts of attempted murder and told one of the teachers, Liz Hopkin, 'I'm going to kill you.'
Ms Hopkin was injured as she intervened to try and protect her colleague Fiona Elias, who was also hurt in the attack.
The teacher, 54, has since said she 'could never' return to work and that there is not enough action to tackle knives in schools.
During the 13-year-old's trial at Swansea Crown Court, jurors were told the attacker would carry a knife to school every day – and that she told fellow pupils on the morning of the attack she planned to stab Ms Elias.
And in May this year a 16-year-old took a knife to Manshead CE Academy in Caddington, Bedfordshire, and took a fellow pupil hostage.
The teenager 'slashed' a staff member and also attacked the child they held hostage, a court heard. They were said to be suffering from mental health issues at the time.
At the Conservative Party conference this week, shadow education secretary Laura Trott said her party would have a 'zero-tolerance' approach to anyone caught with a blade.
She said they would be instantly expelled from mainstream education and sent to alternative provision.
She said: 'Under the Conservatives, our policy is simple: one knife and you are out. If you assault a teacher then you are out. If you sexually assault someone then you are out.
'If you've been expelled from not just one but two mainstream schools, then it's clear, mainstream classrooms aren't for you.
'If children bring knives into the classroom, then they shouldn't be there. If they are violent, then they shouldn't be there. And under the Conservatives, they won't be there.'
Matt Wrack, NASUWT General Secretary, said: 'Teachers report rising numbers of young people bringing knives and other weapons into schools and that the age of pupils carrying weapons is getting younger.
'This is resulting in attacks and threats on fellow pupils and staff, with the result that young people and teachers in our schools have been killed and seriously injured.
'We believe social media is fuelling some of the violence we are seeing in schools at the same time as youth services have been stripped away from our communities.
'The Government needs to reinvest in dedicated services and spaces for our children and young people to offer them a healthier alternative to violence and a greater sense of achievement and belonging.
'We also need to see stronger regulation of social media platforms, including mandatory reporting, rapid removal of violent content, and real penalties for failure to act.'
A government spokesperson said: 'We are addressing the root causes of knife crime, and through our Young Futures programme, we are identifying and supporting vulnerable young people at an early stage. In addition, schools have the power to implement security measures, including knife arches, where necessary.
'As part of the government's central mission to halve knife crime, we have also launched the largest-ever national knife surrender scheme and are backing Ronan's Law to strengthen protections.'
