An independent review has found "several missed opportunities" by All Saints Catholic High School in Sheffield to prevent the fatal stabbing of 15-year-old Harvey Willgoose. Fellow pupil Mohammed Umar Khan, also 15, killed the schoolboy with a hunting knife in February 2025. Harvey's parents believe the school could have saved their son's life by acting on warning signs about the killer's behavior.
The review, conducted by a former school headteacher and inspector, identified a series of failures leading up to the tragedy. School leaders made "oversights, assumptions and misjudgements" from the point Khan was first considered for transfer to All Saints. School leaders did not request or review safeguarding and behavior records before his move, and after his transfer, unclear responsibility meant staff remained unaware of his history of violence and weapons references.
Multiple weapons-related incidents were handled inconsistently. In October 2024, pupils reported Khan had previously carried a knife and brought a BB gun on a school trip. Staff conducted a search but carried out no further investigation, risk assessment, or safety plan. In December 2024, staff found an axe in Khan's bag off-site and the school informed police, but the school conducted no follow-up.
Khan's behavior escalated between November 2024 and January 2025, but the opportunities for intervention were not recognized. On the day of Harvey's murder, school allowed Khan into school "unsearched and without any completed assessment" despite an open investigation into a fresh knife allegation.
Parents demand action
Harvey's parents told reporters they were shocked by the report's findings and want an apology from the school. Mark Willgoose said: "If they were doing what they should have been doing, Harvey would still be here today." His mother Caroline described "too many red flags". Mark Willgoose called it "a massive failing".
Caroline Willgoose is calling for knife arches in schools and for the government to take more control over academies. "There's a knife problem out there, the one place children should feel safe is school," she said. "I want the government to take some control from these academies because they're a law unto themselves. It's about their reputations, it's not about child safety."
In a statement, Caroline said: "Harvey was the light of our lives. Anyone who knew him will tell you he was a fun-loving, cheeky, sociable kid who filled every room with energy. He had big dreams, he was always laughing, always bringing people together. Losing him has torn a hole in our family that will never be replaced."
School response
Steve Davies, chief executive of St Clare Catholic Multi Academy Trust which runs the school, acknowledged the tragedy in a statement. "It is clear that the report identifies areas for improvement, including in relation to our processes, information-sharing and training," he said. The Trust is engaging an external safeguarding expert to implement the report's 10 recommendations.
Davies added: "We have already implemented a number of robust measures over the last year and will continue to take action in line with the report's recommendations and external advice from the statutory safeguarding agencies." The Trust opted not to publish the full report due to sensitivities, but released its recommendations.
The report makes recommendations for the school, the Trust, Sheffield City Council, and the Department for Education, including mandatory record sharing for pupil moves and clear weapons response policies.
Note: This article was created with Artificial Intelligence (AI).
