School Trust Invests £50k in Knife Detectors Following Recent Stabbing Incidents
Jo Higgins, chief executive officer at Dudley Academies Trust, has revealed the organization is spending approximately £50,000 to install metal detection systems across four secondary schools. This decisive action comes in response to a series of horrific knife attacks in educational settings across the country, with Higgins warning that classrooms can remain "vulnerable" without appropriate security measures.
Recent Attacks Prompt Urgent Security Review
The investment follows several serious knife offences in schools that have shocked communities nationwide. On Monday, two boys aged 12 and 13 were stabbed at a school in Brent, north west London, while last week a teacher was attacked at a school in Pembrokeshire. These incidents have highlighted the growing concern about weapons in educational environments.
Higgins, who previously taught near the Sheffield school where 15-year-old Harvey Willgoose was murdered last year, told The Independent that the government should encourage wider rollout of metal detector devices, commonly known as knife arches, at secondary schools. Her call echoes similar appeals from Harvey's mother, Caroline Willgoose, who believes such measures could serve as effective deterrents.
Alarming Statistics on School Knife Crime
While the government doesn't publish official figures on attacks in schools, Freedom of Information data obtained by the BBC in October revealed there were 1,304 offences involving knives or sharp objects at schools and sixth form colleges in England and Wales during 2024. This equates to nearly seven incidents per school day, painting a concerning picture of weapon prevalence in educational settings.
"It was the Harvey Willgoose incident," Higgins explained. "It stopped us all in our tracks. Of all the schools I know in Sheffield, I would have thought perhaps a different kind of school to that one - it's dangerous to have these misconceptions."
Implementation and Community Response
The Dudley Academies Trust is purchasing ten metal detection devices and adapting school estates to accommodate them across its four secondary schools, with two institutions already having the systems operational. The detectors function similarly to airport scanners, requiring pupils to pass through them daily under teacher supervision.
Higgins reported an "overwhelmingly positive" response from parents regarding the security measures. Students had previously expressed concerns about young people carrying knives in their local communities, making the equipment installation both a practical safety measure and a psychological reassurance initiative.
"We're just recognising the reality of the world, the dangers that there are, and we want our schools to remain as really safe places," Higgins emphasized.
Police Support and Industry Demand
West Midlands Police has endorsed the metal detector installations, confirming they are helping reduce knife crime in the Dudley area. Meanwhile, the education sector's demand for such security equipment appears to be growing significantly.
Byron Logue, managing director of Interconnective Security Products - one of the UK's largest providers of metal detectors - revealed that demand from the education sector now exceeds that from police and security firms. A record 18 metal detectors were sold to schools in January alone, indicating increasing awareness of security needs in educational settings.
"Schools really don't want to talk about knife crime, too few admit to there being a problem, but we are now finding more are buying the arches," Logue observed. "They want schools to feel safer. The arches provide a deterrent and give reassurance to allow people to feel confident and safe as they learn."
Government Response and Wider Context
The government, which came to power with a manifesto commitment to halve knife offences within a decade, recently unveiled plans to give every child caught with a knife a mandatory action plan. This followed announcements about opening youth hubs specifically targeting knife crime prevention.
Latest Ministry of Justice figures provided to The Independent show there were 1,120 children convicted for knife possession in England and Wales in the year ending September 2025, representing a slight decrease from 1,160 the previous year. However, NHS Digital data reveals the number of children admitted to hospital for assault by a sharp object in England rose by almost a quarter to 560 in 2024/25 from 461 in 2014/15.
A Department for Education spokesperson stated: "Violence affecting young people is completely unacceptable, and schools should never be left to deal with it alone. Our focus is on prevention and early intervention, working with schools, police and youth services to identify young people at risk early and support them."
The spokesperson added that individual schools must decide whether knife arches are necessary or appropriate for their circumstances, while encouraging headteachers to consult with police on security matters.
Educational Leadership Perspective
Pepe Di'Iasio, general secretary of the Association of Schools and College Leaders, expressed support for measures protecting pupils and staff from knife crime threats. "As we have seen from a number of incidents in the recent past, no setting is immune from these risks," Di'Iasio noted. "School leaders would welcome the opportunity to work with other partners - such as government, police and local authorities - to contribute to a strategic response to this issue."
Higgins concluded with a sobering reflection on recent attacks: "Unfortunately it's the last thing you want to happen, but it seems that this could be something that happens again. We as school leaders just can't take a risk. We have to do everything possible around safeguarding in my view, and we can all sleep a little easier at night knowing we've done that."
