Sheffield schools: Meeting for parents about 'school avoidance' called by mum of Harvey Willgoose

For the Willgoose family, this September would have marked the start of young Harvey Willgoose’s Year 11 at All Saints’ Catholic High School.

Instead, they are waiting for the sentencing of a 15-year-old boy, who in February this year stabbed Harvey to death in a senseless attack at school and was found guilty of murder in August.

However, in a video to her followers last night, Harvey’s mother Caroline said the approach of the new academic term would always have been a “black cloud” for the family because of Harvey’s growing anxiety about school.

In the video posted on August 28 - and as was repeatedly mentioned in evidence during the trial - Caroline said Harvey was a ‘school avoider,’ a growing term for children whose anxieties about the classroom affect their physical and mental health to point of truancy or refusing to go through the gates.

“This time last year I would have been in the same situation I know a lot of people are in now,” Caroline said. “Because we’ll have had an amazing six weeks’ holiday with our Harvey, but then that black cloud is looming because schools are starting back up next week.

“I would be like ‘we’ve had a great time,’ but around now my heart would sink, because Harvey was a school avoider.”

Caroline is now calling for parents who feel their children are also school avoiders to meet and discuss the issue at a public forum.

She is inviting parents to get together at Beighton Miners social club, on High Street, Beighton, on October 2 between 6pm-8pm.

She said: “We thought we was on our own and now we know we’re not on our own.

“This needs talking about now, it’s very close to my heart, because Harvey’s last 18 months were shocking.

“He was a school avoider and I didn’t understand that, and I understand it now, and we’re not on our own.

“I’m having a meeting at Miners’ on second of October, I want people to come listen to people. You don’t have to tell your story but listen and bring the kids so they can have their say, but also to meet other kids in the same situation.

“Let’s get this talked about.”

During the trial, the court heard how Harvey had been avoiding school and telling his family he didn’t want to go, including saying he was afraid other teens carried knives.

Shortly after his death, his family revealed he had not wanted to go to school on the day he died, but he ended up choosing that day to “go on his own.”

A relative, Maria Turner, posted a picture of Harvey on February 3 and wrote: “This is our Harvey who we loved so much.

“For months we have been trying to get him to go to school and the day he decided to go on his own he didn't come home.

“Our lives will never be the same again.”

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