Year 5 pupil took knife to school for “safety and protection”, report finds

By Hannah Neary, Local Democracy Reporter

A Year 5 pupil took a kitchen knife into school amid fears of gang violence in west London.

The child, who cannot be named for legal reasons, took the weapon into a primary school in Kensington and Chelsea for “safety and protection”, council documents revealed.

Head teachers are worried some of their pupils are exposed to serious violence and knife crime as they are left to “roam the streets”, according to research by Kensington and Chelsea council (RBKC).

The RBKC surveyed schools in the borough, and responses from school staff were published anonymously in the report.

The majority of school staff – 60 per cent – who responded to the survey said they did not think serious violence was a key issue at their school.

One staff member said a young child took a knife to school, claiming they needed it to protect themselves.

They said: “A Year 5 pupil brought a large kitchen knife to school. They showed it to a number of pupils in Year 5, and said it was for protection and safety.

“The police were involved as they were the age of criminal responsibility. This resulted in significant police and social work involvement, and work with the restorative justice team. The child now has a police record.”

They also said pupils and staff at the school had suffered from violence in their personal lives. They wrote: “Family members of pupils and staff  have been the victims of knife crime and serious violence. Some of these cases resulted in death.”

The study revealed most head teachers believed incidents of serious youth violence tended to occur outside of school, with pupils affected by siblings or other family members connected to gangs.

One said: “Although serious violence is not directly exhibited in school, it does impact on our children and their families. Our children are aware of it and frightened by it.

“Some of our children’s older siblings are involved, which leads to family breakdown and anxiety. We also worry about some of our older Year 5 and 6 children being free to roam the streets after school, which leaves them vulnerable to gang culture.”

They said the council needed to invest more in youth services to support young people because they were at risk of being involved in gang crime and serious violence as they were left to hang out in dangerous areas.

The report said the council believed it delivered a “good” service overall when it came to protecting young people, but that “there is room for improvement”.

The RBKC spent about £4,670,000 on youth services in 2020/21 – the ninth highest of all other London boroughs in the same financial year.

Pictured top: Kensington Town Hall (Picture: Hannah Neary)