Up to 250 schools in high knife crime hotspots will receive specialist training and support to divert children from serious violence.
The government will launch the ‘Safety In & Around Schools Partnership’ to invest £1.2 million to support schools in areas of high knife crime and improve pupils’ safety on their way to and from school.
The partnership will train school leaders on knife crime risk and support schools to develop local solutions to improve pupil safety, which could include mentoring support for high-risk pupils and deploying chaperones on school routes.
Schools will be selected using innovative hyperlocal mapping which will identify areas where knife crime is at its highest during school commuting hours. This new national mapping technology, developed by the Home Office, can identify the highest knife crime hotspots down to a precision of 0.1 square kilometres. Using micro-geography, the police can pinpoint the specific streets and times when knife crime occurs.
More intensive and tailored support will be provided to up to 50 of these schools in areas with the highest rates of knife crime to increase schools’ ability to understand the local drivers of violence and take steps to prevent children from getting involved. This includes increased access to local support services, as well as ensuring vulnerable children have a trusted adult they can turn to and develop essential social and emotional skills that can keep them safe.
Children and their experiences will be at the heart of this work; informing schools’ understanding of the times and places where children feel safe, including in and around their schools.
This comes as earlier this week the government launched its plan to halve knife crime within a decade. Titled “Protecting Lives, Building Hope”, it will save lives, transform the futures of young people and protect communities across the country.
To tackle knife crime, the government will support young people so they get the best start in life, stop those at risk from turning to knife crime and police our streets to catch and punish perpetrators.
Crime and Policing Minister Sarah Jones said
No child should fear walking to school. That is why we must prevent violence from ever occurring.
With the right support, the right opportunities and the right interventions in the right places, we can prevent harm long before a young person finds themselves in danger.
This government will halve knife crime within a decade, saving lives and protecting communities.
Deputy Prime Minister, David Lammy, said
We know that targeted prevention makes a real difference – reaching young people before violence does, giving them trusted adults to turn to and the support they need to choose a different path. This funding will help schools do exactly that protect children and build the safer streets every community deserves.
I am determined that this government will be the one that finally turns the tide on knife crime, through the kind of sustained, coordinated action that gives the next generation a genuine chance.
Children’s Minister, Josh MacAlister said
Schools do incredible work keeping children safe every day, and this new partnership will make sure they have even more tools and expertise at their disposal, giving children the best possible chance to achieve and thrive.
It sits alongside a huge range of work to tackle issues early – including opening a best start family hub in every area, rolling out 93 expert behaviour hubs across the country, and bringing forward the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, the most ambitious piece of child protection and safeguarding legislation in a generation.
Jon Yates, CEO at Youth Endowment Fund and member of the government’s Coalition to Tackle Knife Crime said said
We know what works to prevent knife crime; a trusted adult, someone to talk to, social and emotional support, opportunities like sport. This programme – backed by the government – aims to bring that support to more of our school children, giving them the chance to live a life free from violence and keeping more young people safe from harm.
Patrick Green, CEO of the Ben Kinsella Trust, member of the government’s Coalition to Tackle Knife Crime said
I strongly welcome the ‘Safety In & Around Schools Partnership’, which will help protect children in areas most affected by knife crime. The government’s commitment to provide targeted funding and practical support for schools is a vital step in strengthening early prevention.
At the Ben Kinsella Trust, we have shown how this can transform lives and keeps young people safe, particularly through early intervention. By increasing schools’ awareness of the specific risks in their local area, and by supporting them to apply evidence based approaches that we know make a real difference, these partnerships will ensure that young people are safer within school and its surrounding areas.
The Safety In & Around Schools Partnership will be delivered by the Youth Endowment Fund and introduced in phases, beginning with early engagement this school year. The more intensive support will follow in the next school year.
It stands alongside further measures including the government’s commitment to refurbish or build 250 youth clubs, continued support of the Young Futures Programme and a pilot of one-to-one attendance mentoring for 10,000 children. All these measures will provide young people with early intervention support that can help divert vulnerable young people away from knife crime.
Since the start of this Parliament, knife crime is down by 8% and the number of knife-related homicides and hospital admissions with a sharp object are at their lowest level in a decade.
Martin Cosser, CEO, and Tara Cosser, Co-Founder of Charlie’s Promise, and members of the Coalition to Tackle Knife Crime, said
We welcome today’s announcement of £1.2 million in funding to support schools as part of the government’s Protecting Lives, Building Hope A Plan to Halve Knife Crime. This is a positive and encouraging step forward, with a clear focus on education, early intervention, and addressing the root causes of youth violence. Schools are on the frontline, and equipping them with the right tools and support is essential to protecting young people.
However, while this investment is very much welcomed, it must not be limited to specific areas. Knife crime affects communities across the UK, and we hope to see this level of commitment extended nationwide. Only through a consistent, country-wide approach rooted in prevention and education can we truly turn the tide and keep young people safe.