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The family of a teenage boy who was fatally stabbed by a fellow student at All Saints Catholic High School in Sheffield say numerous warning signs concerning the attacker were overlooked. This came to light following the completion of an independent review commissioned by the St Clare Catholic Multi‑Academy Trust (SCCMAT), which runs the school. The victim, 15-year-old Harvey Willgoose, lost his life in February 2025 after being attacked by Mohammed Umar Khan, who was also 15.
The independent investigation concluded that school leaders “could, and at times should, have taken different action” in the lead-up to the tragedy. Although the full report has not been made publicly available, SCCMAT has acknowledged its findings and stated it will continue implementing changes based on the recommendations. Since Harvey’s death, the trust says it has introduced several “robust measures” aiming to improve safeguarding practices and prevent similar incidents.
Caroline Willgoose, Harvey’s mother, expressed profound frustration and sorrow over the missed opportunities to intervene. She stated, “Harvey deserved better. All the children in that school deserved better.” She also reflected on the painful clarity the review offered, saying, “To see in black and white the chances there were to step in, the signs that were missed and how many opportunities there were to protect my boy is something I’ll carry with me for the rest of my life.” Harvey’s father, Mark Willgoose, also firmly believes that the school could have saved his son’s life. “If they were doing what they should have been doing, Harvey would still be here today,” he said.
The report identified several shortcomings in safeguarding before the fatal incident. According to the family’s legal representatives at Irwin Mitchell, when Khan transferred to All Saints from another school, his behaviour and safeguarding records were neither requested nor reviewed in advance. Later, when these records arrived, they were not examined due to unclear staff responsibilities. This oversight meant the school was unaware of Khan’s prior involvement with violence, weapon references, and anger issues. Additionally, a planned behaviour management strategy was not put into place upon Khan’s arrival.
Further concerns highlighted in the review showed inconsistent management of weapons-related incidents. For instance, in October 2024, after pupils reported that Khan had previously carried a knife and brought a BB gun on a school trip, school staff conducted a search but failed to follow through with a full investigation, risk assessment, or safety plan. Records of these events were incomplete. Another critical moment came in December 2024 when an axe was found in Khan’s bag off school grounds. Although the police were alerted, the school did not carry out any follow-up internal measures, something the review classified as a safeguarding failure. SCCMAT declined to comment directly on these findings, stating it would be “inappropriate to comment on how it has been characterised” since the report itself remains confidential.
The family and their legal advisors have called for urgent and rigorous action to ensure all the review’s recommendations are fully implemented to protect pupils from knife crime in schools in the future. The recommendations include mandatory sharing of all safeguarding and behaviour records before any pupil transfers to a new school, clarification of responsibilities in monitoring serious incidents, creation of a clear weapons response policy, improved staff training, and introducing dedicated categories for weapons incidents in school record-keeping systems. Additionally, it urges Sheffield City Council to establish a city-wide support scheme for students at risk of knife crime and calls on the Department for Education to issue further national guidance on responding to knife possession in schools.
Steve Davies, chief executive of SCCMAT, said the trust commissioned the independent investigation to ensure “as much transparency as possible.” He acknowledged the “profound tragedy” of Harvey’s death and recognized that the report pointed to areas needing improvement in processes, information sharing, and staff training. Davies added that the trust is working with an external safeguarding expert to implement the recommendations across the school and the wider trust. “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,” he said.
Harvey’s family and their supporters emphasize that schools have a vital duty of care for their pupils. They hope that the lessons learned from this tragic case will lead to swift, meaningful changes that protect other children from similar harm. “While it’s too late for Harvey and his loved ones, the family wants guarantees that decisive and meaningful action will be taken to implement these recommendations,” said their legal representative. “We also encourage other school leaders across the country to review their policies and practices to ensure they’re fit for purpose and so other pupils aren’t put in harm’s way by similar failures.”
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