HOW TEACHERS FEEL
I went to 2 different schools in the London Borough of Bromley and asked them all the same questions about knife crime. I got some of the same responses and different responses.
Schools are now able, by law, to stop and search students who they think are carrying knives.
I asked 3 teachers:
1. Do you think there is a problem with knife crime in London?
All 3 of the school teachers said yes.
2. Do you feel it is just in London or the whole of the UK?
All 3 said UK - one of which said “There is a growing problem within urban areas and you can tell the difference between urban and rural. I think that if you put a line between the Midlands the south could be worse.”
Another teacher thought that Nottingham is worse than London.
3. According to sources found on the internet, knife crime happens every 24 minutes. How does that make you feel?
Shocked
Shoked, frightened, disgusted, sad
Surprised
4. How are schools dealing with the current knife crime? Are they discussing it?
The first school I attended said they cover Being Safe in School PHSE lessons.
They also have a Police Officer who comes in to talk about it.
The second school said that it is “Subject Specific” covered a little bit in Religious Studies because it covers crime and sociology. Because this teacher is Head Of Post-16 they do not do assemblies so has not been covered in any other way.
The third teacher informed me that they had done one Key Stage 4 assembly about it but they have not had a follow up on it. But they do have a DVD from the Police which they make the children watch.
5. Do you think discussions are the key to making children aware of the situation?
The first school said that definitely among young people. She thinks that the knives which are being carried are the ones found at home in the kitchen.
The Post 16 teacher said “If you talk to the children at least you are alerting them of the problem.” She thinks that if people are going to stab someone they will. She also said that the children should “share their beliefs so that they don’t get pressured.”.
The 3rd teacher thought that it should be discussed in smaller groups instead of large. Maybe after assemblies they could talk about it in little groups, but not as a big group.
6. Has there been any knife crime at this school?
The first school I was informed that nobody had actually used a knife but there were a couple of incidents where a knife was found on a student, but the incidents were isolated and the students expelled.
In post 16 no one has used or has been found with a knife. But the teacher did say “outside school, who knows?”.
The last teacher said there had been 2 incidents. The knives were only found because they fell out of the students bags. These students were also expelled.
7. Do you think schools having metal detectors or using wands are a good idea?
The first school said this idea had not been discussed. She thinks that personally it would be a good idea but not sure all schools need them. She thinks if there is a situation with a knife the Police should be called straight away. The school has a security guard which all the children are familiar with.
The post-16 teacher said “if it does come to that, what is the world coming to?”. She does think though that in areas with knife crime this would be a good idea, but just not in all areas that don’t need them. “They need to look at the areas where the schools are placed and make a judgment.”
The 3rd teacher said this would be a good idea.
Schools are now able, by law, to stop and search students who they think are carrying knives.
I asked 3 teachers:
1. Do you think there is a problem with knife crime in London?
All 3 of the school teachers said yes.
2. Do you feel it is just in London or the whole of the UK?
All 3 said UK -
3. According to sources found on the internet, knife crime happens every 24 minutes. How does that make you feel?
Shocked
Shoked, frightened, disgusted, sad
Surprised
4. How are schools dealing with the current knife crime? Are they discussing it?
The first school I attended said they cover Being Safe in School PHSE lessons.
They also have a Police Officer who comes in to talk about it.
The second school said that it is “Subject Specific” covered a little bit in Religious Studies because it covers crime and sociology. Because this teacher is Head Of Post-
The third teacher informed me that they had done one Key Stage 4 assembly about it but they have not had a follow up on it. But they do have a DVD from the Police which they make the children watch.
5. Do you think discussions are the key to making children aware of the situation?
The first school said that definitely among young people. She thinks that the knives which are being carried are the ones found at home in the kitchen.
The Post 16 teacher said “If you talk to the children at least you are alerting them of the problem.” She thinks that if people are going to stab someone they will. She also said that the children should “share their beliefs so that they don’t get pressured.”.
The 3rd teacher thought that it should be discussed in smaller groups instead of large. Maybe after assemblies they could talk about it in little groups, but not as a big group.
6. Has there been any knife crime at this school?
The first school I was informed that nobody had actually used a knife but there were a couple of incidents where a knife was found on a student, but the incidents were isolated and the students expelled.
In post 16 no one has used or has been found with a knife. But the teacher did say “outside school, who knows?”.
The last teacher said there had been 2 incidents. The knives were only found because they fell out of the students bags. These students were also expelled.
7. Do you think schools having metal detectors or using wands are a good idea?
The first school said this idea had not been discussed. She thinks that personally it would be a good idea but not sure all schools need them. She thinks if there is a situation with a knife the Police should be called straight away. The school has a security guard which all the children are familiar with.
The post-
The 3rd teacher said this would be a good idea.
8. Do you feel knife crime in the UK has gone too far for anything to be done about it?
All of the teachers said No, so I felt the need to ask why
The first teacher said they need to make the consequences harsher so that the message will start to get through to people. She thinks that children should start to be made aware of this in the juniors school, not secondary! She said parents need to become more strict with the children. She said the parents should not let their children out at all hours and thinks this could be down to poor parenting skills. “Nowadays it is too easy for children to buy alcohol. The schools can only do so much about this, at the end of the day it is down to them and the parents.” She thinks that more prisons should be built so that anyone carrying a knife can be locked away. “I don’t think these attacks are spur of the moment, I think they are engineered.!
The post-
The last teacher thinks that everyday people are trying to do something about it.
9. When walking around your local area, how safe do you feel? (marks from 1-
The first teacher from Cheam said she was 9/10.
The post-
The last teacher said that she is aware that she has to be extra careful. “I am aware of the situation but I do tend to drive everywhere.”
I asked the first teacher:
If there were more charity run organisations, do you feel people would be made more aware?
She told me that would be a good way to raise the profile about it. It would be a good idea to give practical advice to parents about it and could find areas of interest to local teens as now all they are doing is hanging around shopping centres, local shops, pubs and other dangerous areas when they could be at a Youth Centre or doing something productive.
All 3 were asked what advice they would give to children about knife crime:
“Don’t carry ANY form of weapon adapted to cause injury to someone. Keep clear of groups.”
“NEVER hurt someone else. Be wary of people you get involved with. Don’t feel pressured to carry a knife. If you know someone who does carry one.... Tell somebody.”
“Just don’t carry a knife.”
