Truly shocking - Boy, 15, dies after stabbing this lunchtime at a school in Sheffield.

Freya5

Truly truly shocking, again. More than 20 years ago I remember a young boy 4, being killed by a another 14 year old, outside a local school, also in front of other students.
This was a village school, not a inner city one.
Something drastic needs to be done, but it is beyond me as to what. 😔.

Both aged 14.

Truly truly shocking, again. More than 20 years ago I remember a young boy 4, being killed by a another 14 year old, outside a local school, also in front of other students.
This was a village school, not a inner city one.
Something drastic needs to be done, but it is beyond me as to what. 😔.

Probably at home, not suspecting in their wildest dreams that their child is capable, I'd imagine.

Where are the killers Parents in all of this madness ?

In the government report Barleyfields you'll see that can and does occur when the police designate an area high risk. Random S and S is part of the plan then.
But how could it possibly be enforced country wide -and would it have made any difference to these sort of events.
Each incident has its own motivations and circumstances.

I live in fear of my boy being a victim.
It just doesn't bear thinking about.

I actually think we have sadly reached a point where we need electronic scanners and bag searches in all schools as well as random searches of young people in the street. Obvs are safeguarding issues with police randomly searching young people in the street if under the age of 18 but I think we have now passed the point where this matters more than safeguarding our children from knife attacks.

Stop and search would get my vote.
With meaningful sanctions if found in possession.

That, imho, has to change to random stop and search.

Stop and Search is really important, but I don't see it being able to stop this sort of incident.

This government paper shows how its enforced atm. ie grounds for S and S.

homeofficemedia.blog.gov.uk/2023/06/23/police-powers-stop-and-search/

They would have had to have had the offender (or a gang) in their sights already

I’m all in favour of stop and search too. It’s the BME communities who complain most vociferously about it, but too bad. If it gets knives and other weapons and drugs off the street it’s a good thing.

The elephant in the room is stop and search.

I am all in favour of it, random stops could be a deterrent along with removing the knives found and penalising those carrying.

There is a knives down campaign in Essex started by a local businessman, it needs all the publicity it can get .

Babs , you are correct. My AC left the teaching profession and retrained in a completely different area- no regrets at all. They told me that often parents complain ( angrily) if their
child has been reprimanded and teachers have little authority and the children know it!!
FGT, I am with you - two sets of parents absolutely devastated!! Can't imagine the horror. I don't understand the reasons but I do know that carrying a knife should come with a very severe penalty - perhaps it does ? It beggers belief and is almost a daily event. How and when will this carnage stop?

Wyllow3

I think the constant high levels of appalling violence on video games has a considerable effect. I know the link hasn't been "proven" but I don't believe it.

I think this could be true, and also kids with smartphones/iPhones can access sites showing violent rape, beheadings by Islamic groups in the ME etc., and suicide sites.
Was shown on a documentary recently about kids with these phones.
No wonder Australia and some other countries are thinking of banning access to these sites before the age of 16. Trouble is kids will probs find a way round this.

Unfortunately SM is awash with stories/theories on this matter.
It seems the school was put into lockdown a few days previously because the same pupil made threats.

Yes, it desensitises.

I think the constant high levels of appalling violence on video games has a considerable effect. I know the link hasn't been "proven" but I don't believe it.

Galaxy

It's not top trumps it's trying to help the children involved. I work in inner city schools. My children were much safer in the middle class village school. If we pretend otherwise we let those children down.

My children were much safer in the middle class village school.
In the one they went to perhaps years ago unless they are still at primary school?

Times have changed.

Casdon

The point is though that it can happen anywhere. Who does it help by saying it’s worse in school A than it is in School B? Not the two teachers and a pupil in a nice rural Welsh school, for sure. All children deserve help, surely?

Yes, sorry, I see you posted that already.

Walk through security scanners like the ones in airports? Security guards in schools?

That wouldn't solve the problem of knife crime on the streets.

Casdon

It’s not TopTrumps Galaxy. Any school can have one or more pupils who are dangerous and unpredictable, and in possession of a knife.

Absolutely.

It is frightening to think that so many children not only carry knives but then aren't afraid to use them.

Today, a schoolgirl was found guilty of stabbing two teachers and another pupil at a school in Ammanford. She claimed she'd been carrying a knife to school for months.

Because you cant address the problem. You cant prioritise or even identify the issues.

The point is though that it can happen anywhere. Who does it help by saying it’s worse in school A than it is in School B? Not the two teachers and a pupil in a nice rural Welsh school, for sure. All children deserve help, surely?

It's not top trumps it's trying to help the children involved. I work in inner city schools. My children were much safer in the middle class village school. If we pretend otherwise we let those children down.

It’s not TopTrumps Galaxy. Any school can have one or more pupils who are dangerous and unpredictable, and in possession of a knife.

One of mine went to a very ‘posh’ school and drugs were so rife there she stopped going to their parties because of the pressure to participate. That was early 1990s.