After a boy was found guilty of murdering 15-year-old Harvey Willgoose during a lunch break at a school in Sheffield, ITV News spoke to three boys who told us their reasons for bringing knives into schools.
“I haven’t used it – but I’ve scared some people with it,” one of the teenagers said.
They laugh when I ask about getting caught.
"Teachers are clueless," one boy said. "Clueless. Guys have been searched with stuff on them and still haven’t got caught."
Is it pretty easy to hide knives in school?
"It’s easy to hide knives everywhere," I am told. "I could name five people who have stabbed people and have got away with it. A lot of the stuff is easy."
ITV News has gained exclusive access to figures from police forces across England and Wales on knife possession in schools, covering the years from 2019 to 2025.
They include two grim statistics:
A total of 975 under-16s have been reported to police for being in possession of a knife or bladed article in school
The youngest person to be arrested after being found in possession of a knife or bladed article in school was aged seven, and that was in 2025
The numbers come on the day that the 15-year-old killer of Harvey Willgoose was found guilty of his murder.
In the five months since Harvey’s death, his parents, Caroline and Mark, have worked to improve the lives of youngsters in their community, in the hope it will deter them from carrying knives and joining gangs.
"It’s what’s keeping us going, we want to do some good for our children, because there are no winners," Caroline said, referring to both victims and perpetrators.
"His family, the other person’s family, has got an empty bedroom."
They want schools to introduce knife arches, which are walk-through metal detectors that will spot any hidden blades.
At Archbishop Ilsley Catholic School, a comprehensive school in Birmingham, they are doing what they can.
Staff and police carry out spot checks on Year 8 pupils, where bags are searched and bodies are scanned.
They have done this for the last ten years.
While no weapons have ever been found, Assistant Headteacher Dan Corrigan told us they have to be proactive.
“The problem is societal," he said. "It’s about working together with school, police, parents. It’s about doing something and making a difference."
We know that the number of children carrying knives is on the rise and is creeping back up to pre-Covid pandemic levels.
I asked those who’ve taken knives into school if they would ever consider not carrying them.
“Maybe,” one teenage boy said sheepishly.
Because disarming takes guts.
And for many, the immediate sense of power takes precedent over any potential consequence.
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