Harvey Willgoose: Every question school has been asked in wake of murder amid claims 'red flags' were missed
A teenage boy murdered 15-year-old Harvey Willgoose during an incident at their Sheffield school less than two months after his mum found an axe in his bag and asked for the school’s help.
Now, following the boy’s murder conviction, The Star has been able to put a range questions to All Saints Catholic High School for the first time, such as: whether they failed to act on red flags including the discovery of the axe; if they failed Harvey and his family; if parents can trust the school to keep their children safe - and whether anyone at the school has, or should, resign over the tragedy.
A matter of minutes after Harvey passed away on February 3, 2025, the boy who killed him in the courtyard of their school was arrested. He appeared at Sheffield Magistrates’ Court charged with Harvey’s murder less than 48 hours after stabbing the teen in the heart with a hunting knife.
Pending court, proceedings become “active” from the moment one of four things happen, namely: when a suspect is arrested; they are made the subject of either a warrant or summons or they are charged.
As soon as proceedings become active, the press are obliged to abide by a strict set of rules under Contempt of Court laws, which significantly restict the details that can be published about a case, in order to ensure a suspect can be guaranteed a fair trial - should it come to that.
The proceedings involving Harvey’s killer - who cannot be named for legal reasons - only came to an end on Friday (August 8, 2025) when jurors convicted him of murder at the conclusion of a five-week Sheffield Crown Court trial, after he denied the offence at an earlier hearing. He had previously pleaded guilty to Harvey’s manslaughter, however.
“So many” red flags
Now that proceedings are no longer active, Caroline Willgoose, Harvey’s mum, has been able to speak freely and says the “worst” and most “harrowing” thing about Harvey’s death is the fact that she feels “it could have been prevented.”
Harvey’s sister, Sophie, has also said she believes All Saints Catholic High School is “as much to blame” as the boy who killed him.
Caroline told The Star there were “so many” red flags that should have been acted upon, including the fact the defendant’s mother went to All Saints Catholic High School in December 2024 and asked for their help, after she found an axe in her son’s bag.
The school subsequently contacted the police but during the course of the boy’s trial, prosecutor Richard Thyne KC told jurors that the police officer who visited the defendant’s family home on December 27, 2024 believed the boy was lying when he said “he knew nothing about the axe” but sought to “reassure the teen that the conversation was about his “wellbeing” and that he would not be arrested.
The officer also had a talk with the defendant about the “dangers of carrying weapons.”
The defendant told jurors he had bought the axe from a fellow pupil whilst on school premises.
Jurors also heard how the defendant displayed violent behaviour in the months leading up to the stabbing, including punching a computer monitor in response to being given a detention; punching a wall multiple times in a separate incident after being called a derogatory name, and involving himself in a violent scuffle involving two other boys, following which the school was sent into lockdown after the defendant claimed he saw one of the boys with a knife.
On the morning of the fatal incident - five days later - Assistant Headteacher Morgan Davis asked the defendant if he had brought anything “he shouldn’t have” - seemingly referring to a knife - but accepted the defendant’s denials.
The boy had the murder weapon secreted under his school uniform.
“If you have the reason to ask that child, you've got a reason to search that child,” Caroline has said.
The day the defendant killed Harvey was also not the first time he had brought a knife into school. The court was shown a picture dating back to September 2024, recovered from the defendant’s phone, which shows him posing with a knife in a wooded area of the school.
Mr Thyne, prosecuting, said the police investigation subsequently showed the defendant “had an unhealthy and apparently longstanding interest in weapons.”
Our questions to All Saints Catholic High School
The Star first put the questions to the school on Friday, August 1, 2025 - three working days before the jury retired to consider their verdict - asking for on-the-record responses to each question to be used at the end of the trial. We also asked for the responses to be attributed to a named individual.
We have now received responses to eight of the 11 questions posed, and have been asked to attribute all responses to a ‘spokesperson’ for St. Clare Catholic Multi Academy Trust.
Question one:
What do you say to concerns the school missed a number of red flags, and failed to take any action, despite the serious, and escalating, nature of the defendant's behaviour in the run-up to the fatal stabbing?
St. Clare Catholic Multi Academy Trust did not respond to this question.
Question two:
The defendant said he was able to buy an axe from a fellow pupil at the school, whilst on school premises - how could this have been allowed to happen?
St. Clare Catholic Multi Academy Trust did not respond to this question.
Question three:
- Do you accept that you failed Harvey? Is there anything you could have done better? Do you have anything you want to say to Harvey's family?
A spokesperson for All Saints Catholic High School said: “This was a devastating incident, and our hearts go out to the family.
“They have endured an unimaginable loss no one should ever have to face, and they are entitled to speak about it in whichever way they see fit.
“We completely understand they have important questions about what happened and that is why we have committed to engaging fully with the reviews and investigations that can take place now the criminal proceedings are over.”
Question four:
Caroline Willgoose says the school has not been in touch with the family since Harvey's death. She acknowledges that this is not something she wants, however. Is it normal procedure for the school to cut off contact with families in the wake of such tragedies?
A spokesperson for St. Clare Catholic Multi Academy Trust said: “This was a devastating incident, and our hearts go out to the family.
“They have endured an unimaginable loss no one should ever have to face, and they are entitled to speak about it in whichever way they see fit.
“We completely understand they have important questions about what happened and that is why we have committed to engaging fully with the reviews and investigations that can take place now the criminal proceedings are over.”
Question five:
We know from the trial that the defendant was asked if he had a weapon on the morning of the stabbing. Caroline Willgoose says if you had just reason to ask him if he was carrying a weapon, then you had just reason to search him. Does the school accept that it should have searched the defendant?
St. Clare Catholic Multi Academy Trust did not respond to this question.
Question six:
Caroline Willgoose is campaigning for knife arches to be installed in all schools. Is this something you would support, and do you have any plans to install one?
A spokesperson for St. Clare Catholic Multi Academy Trust said: “We have always said that we are taking a considered view on safety changes under the constant guidance of expert agencies, the police and in line with legal process.
“Knife arches are just one safety measure and there is a divergence of opinions and evidence on their efficacy. However, we have installed wands to improve our screening process and increased security measures such as implementing a monthly drop in with a community liaison officer.”
Question seven:
Are there any plans for anyone including the headteacher to resign over Harvey's death? Has anyone tendered their resignation so far?
A spokesperson for St. Clare Catholic Multi Academy Trust said “On the question of resignations, while it is understandable to seek individual accountability, the position is that we still need to build a full picture of events surrounding the incident.
“It was essential that the criminal process was able to run its course, and a priority was to avoid doing anything that might have affected that trial. As a result, it is only now that we are able to speak directly to certain individuals about their accounts. When that process is complete the next step will be to review that information alongside our own records in a structured way.
“These matters will be considered in detail through the forthcoming reviews and investigations, and it is right that any decisions are made once those processes are complete and a full understanding has been reached of what happened and what will most improve safety in future.”
Question eight:
What learning has taken place at All Saints since Harvey's death, and have you introduced any policies to ensure nothing like this can ever happen again?
A spokesperson for St. Clare Catholic Multi Academy Trust said: “Since Harvey’s death the school has been in close liaison with South Yorkshire Police; expert agencies such as the Sheffield Educational Psychologist Team, the Department for Education, the National Homicide Support Service and the Sheffield City Safeguarding Partnership; and specialist charities and organisations such as Unravel, Positive Regard and Oasis Community Learning Trust.
“Our actions have been guided by these bodies and our insights from the daily work we have carried out with our students to ensure the support they have been provided is tailored to their needs.
“We have implemented a number of additional security measures since Harvey’s death, including the introduction of handheld metal detectors (also known as “wands”) to be used by trained staff members should they suspect a student of carrying any banned objects on their person.
“We have also invested in a software tool, called ‘Whisper’ which is an email and text communication tool where students, parents or staff can report any concerns they may have in an anonymised way. These messages are monitored by designated staff who respond to each message and, where required, alert appropriate colleagues and relevant external bodies for required action and/or investigation.
“We continue to work closely with South Yorkshire Police. We have implemented a monthly drop-in session led by a member of their team to allow students to share any concerns and learn more about knife crime in a safe space.
“We are also in discussions to engage our community in the coming academic year with their programme of events and sessions on knife crime awareness – this is something that will be organised in line with advice from our specialist educational psychologists.
“Since the incident we have worked regularly with specialist charities and organisations. The Oasis Community Learning Trust, which operates multi-academy trusts as well as running a number of local community initiatives for young people across the UK, has provided us with invaluable advice and support on student mental health and safety – they have practical experience of dealing with a case similar to ours.
“We have also worked extensively with Unravel, a children’s psychological support charity. We have hosted an Oasis workshop for parents based on helping them to help their children to process this traumatic incident. Further workshops are being scheduled.
“Staff have also attended an Unravel training session focused on spotting signs of behavioural risks amongst students and managing student welfare at difficult times like this. Unravel has provided us with materials for assemblies focused on supporting students in response to trauma and education about knife crime.
“We are also organising refresher staff training sessions on safe student restraint with our partner Positive Regard.
“The pastoral team at the school has a long track record of working diligently and carefully in partnership with other agencies – including the police, local authority safeguarding, local authority children’s services and social care – to assess and care for student welfare and safety.
“Their work includes managing the Child Protection Online Management System where any perceived concerns about safety or welfare of a young person must be logged by any adult working in the school. This is monitored and acted upon by the safeguarding and pastoral team. We are also working closely with specialist educational psychologists and other agencies to ensure the continued safety and wellbeing of all pupils at the school.
“We have brought in an on-site educational psychologist who is an expert in dealing with young people following traumatic incidents, and we have increased counselling sessions on a regular basis.
“Weheld a Parent Forum earlier in the year which was well-attended and was a very productive event. We gathered experts from the police and educational psychologist service, and senior leaders from across the School and Trust to provide updates to parents and answer questions on implemented measures. We feel strongly about keeping an open dialogue with parents as an important part of moving forward as a community.”
Question nine
Do you believe that children are safe at your school?
A spokesperson for St. Clare Catholic Multi Academy Trust referred us to the answer to question eight in response to this question.
Question ten
Why did the school oppose an application for the reporting restriction preventing the press from stating that the defendant and Harvey went to the same school to be amended? Was this an attempt to protect the school's reputation?
A spokesperson for St. Clare Catholic Multi Academy Trust said: “This was nothing to do with the school’s reputation but about its duty of care to the young vulnerable people in our community who were in a state of shock after Harvey’s death.
“While we fully acknowledge the press has a vital role in reporting crimes of this nature we were concerned about the impact of an intense press presence on them at a time of grief and shock.”
Question eleven
Have school numbers been affected by the tragedy? Have parents removed their children from the school since this happened, and do you have fewer children signed up to join in September 2025 compared to previous years?
A spokesperson for St. Clare Catholic Multi Academy Trust said: “Our school numbers remain high. All year groups remain fully allocated and we currently have a waiting list.”
South Yorkshire Police statement
Referring to questions posed over their contact with the defendant, a South Yorkshire Police spokesperson said: “Supporting young people to make the right choices and choose pathways away from criminality is a joint responsibility of policing and society. Sadly, by the time a young person comes to police attention, they may have already taken steps along the wrong path and that's why it is so important we play the appropriate part in a holistic, partnership approach to this issue. We work closely with our partners in local authorities and schools, SYMCA and the Violence Reduction Unit, the third sector and others to deliver the appropriate advice, support and action around this issue.
“In this particular case, the first contact we had with the defendant was in December 2024 when an officer visited his home, seized a weapon, and gave strong words of advice around the dangers of carrying weapons. We also provided comprehensive safeguarding advice and made the relevant referrals into partner organisations. Based on the information available to us at the time, this was the most appropriate approach to take and is reflective of best practice in trying to engage young people in the first instance before taking punitive action against them.”