Pupils as young as 7 taking blades to class as shocking figures expose UK’s knife crisis in schools

Pupils as young as 7 have been caught taking knives to class in shocking new figures that reveal the true extent of the UK’s school knife crisis.

As government pops up a national center aimed at tackling knife crime, Independent More than 700 knife crimes, including threats and attacks, were recorded by police in schools in England and Wales last year.

It follows an allegation that a 13-year-old boy stabbed two boys in the neck at a secondary school in Brent in February, and a month later that a 15-year-old boy allegedly attacked a girl with a knife at the school near Norwich.

The mother of Harvey Willgoose, who was killed by another student in 2025, described the number of incidents as an “emergency” and accused schools of failing to confront the problem by rebroadcasting her call for metal detectors, also known as “knife belts”.

Conservative shadow ministers say a “zero tolerance” approach is needed and children excluded from mainstream education after being caught with a knife should be kicked out of mainstream education, while school leaders claim there are limits to what headteachers can do and are calling for a community-wide response to deal with the crisis.

There were 748 recorded crimes involving knives or sharp objects in schools in 2025, including assaults and threats, according to data requests from 26 of the 42 responding forces. That marked a slight increase from 735 in 2024 and a decrease from a five-year peak of 879 in 2022.

12 of the security forces provided information on the suspects’ ages; which showed that a shocking 33 were aged 10 or under.

These included West Mercia Police booking the suspect for possession of a knife when he was a seven-year-old boy. West Yorkshire Police recorded two offenses for possession of a knife or blade, with the suspect being an eight-year-old boy. The crimes included 118 acts of violence and 29 threats.

Some forces have said knife crime figures may also include incidents involving other weapons such as screwdrivers or needles. For some, the data may include events at colleges or areas where the school is recorded as the nearest location.

Caroline Willgoose, whose son Harvey was stabbed in the heart with a hunting knife at All Saints Catholic High School, said the figures were worrying but not a surprise.

“This is an emergency and change is needed,” Ms Willgoose said. “I have received hundreds of messages from parents saying that someone from their school, mostly primary schools, walked in with a knife and nothing was done about it or they were sent to another school.

“There need to be serious consequences for knives being found in schools rather than being thrown under the carpet.”

Earlier this year family lawyers claimed an independent report identified “several missed opportunities” before the 15-year-old was killed; These included allegations that the school failed to adequately investigate concerns that his killer, Muhammad Umar Khan, who was 15 at the time, was carrying a gun. The school had implemented “robust measures” since then, the trust said in a statement in February.

Ms Willgoose said schools were required to install blade belts to ensure children were protected, but many schools were not supportive. “They are more concerned about reputation and not wanting to scare parents,” he added.

Meanwhile, teachers at a school in Bradford said they felt threatened, including former physics teacher Vincent Uzomah, who left the profession 10 years ago after being stabbed in the stomach by a pupil.

Mr Uzomah, who is now a lecturer at the University of Salford, said: “These are incidents that don’t happen in every school and they don’t happen regularly, but when they do it has a huge impact. For me it almost ended my life and I shudder when I see a new case on the news.”

He added: “There should be more focus on the attitude at home, the attitude in society, and instead of isolating such children, measures should be taken to protect the lives of teachers and other students to ensure a safe environment for everyone.”

Knife crime in schools comes at a time when knife crime is expected to fall by nine per cent overall by September 2025, according to the Office for National Statistics. Labor has set a target of reducing knife crime by 50 per cent.

A new National Knife Crime Center opened in London on Thursday, where police experts will tackle criminals selling and distributing guns online, often referred to as the “grey market”.

Following attacks on two children at Kingsbury High School in Brent in February, Education Minister Georgia Gould said ministers would look at safety in schools.

Department for Education (DfE) guidance states that CCTV and systems to detect intrusions, such as alarm systems, strong perimeter fencing and security lighting, can help prevent attacks.

In the West Midlands, Dudley Academies Trust spent nearly £50,000 on cutter belts for four of its secondary schools. Chief executive Jo Higgins said schools that did not take appropriate measures were “vulnerable” to violence.

Pepe Di’Iasio, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said there had been “a number of horrific and tragic incidents involving knives” but that tackling it needed a “more cohesive, society-wide response”.

He said schools were already carrying out searches and providing education about the dangers of knife crime, and that when a pupil was found holding a knife it was treated “very seriously”.

But he warned: “There are limits to what can be expected from schools. They are part of their communities, they are not fortresses, and teachers are teachers, not security guards. Moreover, schools have very limited budgets and expanding on-site security requires significant investment.”

Conservative shadow home secretary Chris Philp said if in government he would introduce a stronger approach to violence and misbehavior in schools, including sending pupils suspended for carrying knives to “more appropriate environments” such as Pupil Referral Units.

He said: “We need robust, early intervention, backed by real results, so this is stopped long before it reaches the school gates.”

A government spokesman said: “As part of the government’s mission to halve knife crime within a decade, nearly 60,000 knives have been removed from Britain’s streets and knife homicides have fallen by 27 per cent. We are also working with schools, police and youth services on prevention and early intervention to identify young people most at risk.”