Mum of murdered Sheffield teenager renews calls for knife arches to be brought in schools
It's as schools in South Yorkshire & North Derbyshire prepare for the new academic year - which's due to get underway this week
With schools in South Yorkshire & North Derbyshire set to return this week - there's a fresh call for 'knife arches' to be used in future.
Caroline Willgoose - whose son Harvey was murdered at All Saints School back in February of this year - is behind the campaign.
After her 15-year-old son was stabbed to death by another teenager on his lunch break earlier this year at All Saints Catholic High school in Sheffield - Caroline Willgoose set up an online petition.
It's pushing for all secondary schools & colleges to bring in 'knife arches' as a way of stopping young people from carrying weapons:
"We've got just over 53,000 signatures at the moment, but we need 100,000 for it to be discussed in Parliament.
"The petition is slowly creeping up - we want people to get on board the campaign though.
"Children are frightened; they know people have got knives in schools, but they're too scared to say anything.
"I just think there's knives in every school - and I'm not scare mongering - there is.
"If one school got a knife arch - then I'd be happy - because I do think others would follow suit.
"Funding is an issue as well of course."
Martin Cooper is the Headteacher at Dronfield Henry Fanshawe Secondary School.
He's not against bringing knife arches in - if they help to keep young people safe:
"There seems to be this desire still to carry weapons, and that does worry me.
"Knife arches in schools? I think it's a sad day when you come to that, if we have to come to that, but if that's a solution to solving a problem, then perhaps that's something we have to consider."
A 15-year-old boy - who we can't name for legal reasons - is due to be sentenced for Harvey's murder in October at Sheffield Crown Court.
You can see the petition set up by Caroline Willgoose below:
https://www.change.org/p/stop-knife-crime-in-our-schools-security-is-needed