{"id":246657,"date":"2026-05-19T10:25:01","date_gmt":"2026-05-19T09:25:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/schoolsweek.co.uk\/?p=246657"},"modified":"2026-05-19T10:25:01","modified_gmt":"2026-05-19T09:25:01","slug":"trust-issued-with-improvement-notice-after-pupil-stabbed-to-death","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/schoolsweek.co.uk\/trust-issued-with-improvement-notice-after-pupil-stabbed-to-death\/","title":{"rendered":"Trust issued with improvement notice after pupil stabbed to death"},"content":{"rendered":"

A 13-school trust has been issued an improvement notice over safeguarding failings after a pupil was murdered at one of its academies.<\/p>\n

Fifteen-year-old Harvey Willgoose was stabbed to death by Mohammed Umar Khan at Sheffield’s All Saints Catholic High School in February 2025.<\/p>\n

An external investigation conducted following the attack uncovered numerous failings, including \u201cmultiple instances of poor record keeping and communication\u201d in relation to safeguarding matters.<\/p>\n

And in an official notice to improve, published on Friday<\/a>, Department for Education officials told St Clare Catholic MAT, which runs All Saints, it had broken academy rules \u201cgiven the seriousness of the findings\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cI recognise the cooperation and extensive discussions that have taken place between the trust and officials,\u201d they said.<\/p>\n

\u201cHowever, this notice will be in place until such time as I have full assurances that there are appropriate and compliant safeguarding controls at the trust.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2018Oversights and assumptions\u2019<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Khan, also 15, had deliberately concealed and taken a hunting knife into the Sheffield school, the Crown Prosecution Service said<\/a>.<\/p>\n

He had also ignored a friend\u2019s plea to hand over the weapon that day to avoid doing \u201csomething stupid\u201d.<\/p>\n

The teen stabbed Willgoose, a fellow All Saints pupil, twice, once in the chest and once to the abdomen.<\/p>\n

Khan was found guilty of murder and carrying a bladed knife onto school premises. He was sentenced to life, with a minimum of 15 years detention.<\/p>\n

The notice to improve stated the subsequent external investigation found \u201cweaknesses in the school\u2019s organisational structure and systems which contributed to a series of oversights, assumptions and misjudgements\u201d.<\/p>\n

This \u201caffected safeguarding decision-making\u201d.<\/p>\n

Guidance \u2018not followed\u2019 <\/strong><\/h2>\n

Government guidance for off-site provision also wasn\u2019t followed, nor was \u201cguidance for arranging managed moves\u201d.<\/p>\n

The probe highlighted \u201cmultiple instances of poor record keeping and communication with relation to safeguarding matters\u201d and \u201cat least one instance of an unlawful suspension\u201d.<\/p>\n

Other guidance around the possession of weapons and searching, screening and confiscation was not followed.<\/p>\n

\u201cGiven the seriousness of the findings of the external review, it is clear that the trust board has failed to comply with the safeguarding measures outlined in\u2026 the academy trust handbook,\u201d the notice added.<\/p>\n

\u201cI understand that this decision may be disappointing and want to assure you that I recognise the positive action the trust has taken to date to address the concerns.\u201d<\/p>\n

Notices to improve are issued when the DfE has concerns about financial management or governance in an academy trust. The documents describe what a chain must do to to address the concerns.<\/p>\n

Failure to comply with the terms of a notice can trigger the termination of a trust’s funding agreement and the rebrokerage of one or more of its schools.<\/p>\n

Metal detectors<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The trust told Schools Week<\/em><\/a> it has introduced handheld metal detectors to be used by trained staff if they suspect a pupil of \u201ccarrying any banned objects\u201d.<\/p>\n

Refresher sessions \u201con safe student restraint\u201d have been held for staff and a bleed kit donated by a charity connected to Harvey\u2019s mother, Caroline, has been installed.<\/p>\n

South Yorkshire Police is also holding a monthly drop-in session \u201cto allow students to share any concerns and learn more about knife crime in a safe space\u201d.<\/p>\n

Oasis Community Learning Trust has also provided St Clare with \u201cadvice and support on student mental health and safety\u201d.<\/p>\n

The trust has also worked with Unravel, a children\u2019s psychological support charity, to help staff spot signs of trauma among pupils and to manage youngsters\u2019 welfare at \u201cdifficult times\u201d. An on-site educational psychologist has also been brought in.<\/p>\n

Safeguarding \u2018our highest priority\u2019<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The notice ordered the trust to \u201creview and update (where necessary) its current safeguarding policies and establish a process for regular updates and compliance checks\u201d.<\/p>\n

It must commission another external review \u201cto identify any gaps and recommendations for improvement\u201d and ensure \u201call arrangements for transfers, offsite directions, managed moves and reintegration meetings following suspensions\u201d comply with statutory guidance.<\/p>\n

A St Clare spokesperson stressed the trust is \u201cworking closely with the DfE\u201d and has made progress on each of the seven actions the department has asked to be delivered.<\/p>\n

\u201cFrom the outset, we have proactively engaged with the statutory safeguarding agencies and will continue to do so with a clear focus on providing the best possible environment for students.<\/p>\n

\u201cSafeguarding will always be our highest priority, and we remain fully committed to supporting our whole community as we move forward together.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Sheffield MAT ‘failed to comply with the safeguarding measures’, DfE says<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":311204,"featured_media":246656,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[32],"post-theme":[2381],"class_list":["post-246657","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-academies","post-theme-academies"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t