Harvey Willgoose’s household says ‘too many purple flags’ missed earlier than faculty stabbing | Colleges

The household of a 15-year-old boy who was stabbed to loss of life at college by one other pupil has stated her son’s homicide was “mindless and avoidable” and {that a} report ordered by the varsity confirmed too many “purple flags” had been missed.

Harvey Willgoose died one yr in the past to the day, and his killer, Mohammed Umar Khan, is serving a minimal time period of 16 years’ detention. A report commissioned by the belief that runs Harvey’s faculty, All Saints Catholic highschool in Sheffield, has highlighted quite a lot of missed alternatives within the run-up to the homicide. The evaluate was undertaken by a former faculty headteacher and inspector of colleges at Be taught Sheffield.

Caroline Willgoose advised of her household’s anger and ache over failures on the faculty.

She stated: “I’ll all the time be offended by what occurred to Harvey, however greater than something, I’m decided to unite folks, convey modifications for the higher.

“I’m decided that no different household ought to be sitting in court docket listening to how their little one was killed, must learn a report that lays naked how their little one might have been protected. I wish to use my voice for Harvey’s reminiscence to push for actual change.”

There wanted, she stated, to be higher record-keeping and coaching in faculties nationally.

The household have referred to as the report “damning” and stated it ought to be printed in full so different faculties can be taught from errors that had been made.

Yogi Amin, the pinnacle of public legislation and human rights at Irwin Mitchell, which represents Harvey’s household, stated the evaluate had recognized “weaknesses in management”, failure to implement nationwide coverage and “severe shortcomings in record-keeping that meant weapons-related considerations and escalating behaviours weren’t acted upon successfully”.

He added: “{The catalogue} of errors makes for deeply troubling studying and simply provides to the damage and ache Harvey’s household have needed to endure following his completely pointless loss of life.”

The report, Amin stated, revealed that safeguarding and behavior information weren’t requested or reviewed earlier than Khan’s transfer to All Saints was agreed. When he did switch, the information weren’t learn as a consequence of unclear accountability.

Maria Turner, Harvey’s grandmother, stated “all of the purple flags had been missed” together with one, she stated, that recognized 130 incidents in Khan’s information which included “violence, weapons, gangs and anger … and the varsity didn’t appear to choose up on this”.

Harvey’s uncle Simon Turner stated the ten suggestions contained within the report ought to be seen as “fundamentals” when it comes to safeguarding at a college. “It’s simply shameful that we’re on this scenario,” he stated.

Amin stated: “All faculty leaders do want to concentrate to those suggestions and implement them of their faculties. The gaps in coverage, the failures on this faculty can equally apply to colleges up and down the nation. We’ll be asking the coroner to evaluate the report and contemplate the findings at an inquest.”

Khan stabbed Harvey to loss of life throughout the lunch break in entrance of different youngsters who fled “in worry and panic”. Some ran to a close-by storage cabinet, which they locked and barricaded.

Caroline Willgoose and her household at the moment are campaigning for all faculties to put in knife arches to assist stop one other stabbing.

The varsity belief has launched the report’s suggestions however stated it was not being shared in full as a consequence of “the delicate private data it accommodates and privateness considerations”.

One advice is that full safeguarding and behavior information are shared between faculties. One other requires a evaluate that clarifies “the roles, duties and accountabilities of all posts in any respect ranges within the behaviour and safeguarding buildings”.

Steve Davies, the chief govt of St Clare Catholic multi-academy belief, stated: “It’s clear that the report identifies areas for enchancment, together with in relation to our processes, information-sharing and coaching.

“The problems this report raises may also resonate extra extensively throughout the schooling sector. We hope the findings can contribute to a wider dialogue in regards to the help, steering and frameworks faculties want nationally to reply persistently and safely to the evolving safeguarding challenges affecting younger folks.”

Caroline Willgoose stated everybody who knew Harvey noticed that he was “full of affection and a cheeky, sociable child who stuffed each room with vitality.

“He had large goals, he was all the time laughing, all the time bringing folks collectively. Dropping him has torn a giant gap in our household which is able to by no means get replaced. Day by day since Harvey was taken has been agony for us all.

“I nonetheless hear his voice saying I really like you earlier than he left for college that morning.”

She stated: “No guardian ought to outlive their little one and definitely not due to one thing as mindless and avoidable as a knife being taken into faculty.

“Studying the findings on this report, it’s devastating to see in black and white the possibilities they needed to step in, the indicators that had been missed and what number of alternatives that there have been to guard our boy. It’s one thing that no one ought to be going by means of.”