A "damning report" revealed Harvey's killer had 130 previous violent incidents against his name, including an axe being found in his bag
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The family of a teenager who was stabbed to death have told LBC "he'd still be alive" if it wasn't for "missed opportunities" by his school, a year after he was murdered.
Harvey Willgoose was 15 when he was murdered at All Saints Catholic High School in Sheffield on February 3, 2025.
Fellow pupil, Mohammed Umar Khan, also 15, was sentenced to life in prison with a minimum term of 16 years after being convicted of murder.
A year on from his death, Harvey’s family say a report into safeguarding at the school is "damning" after it revealed 130 previous incidents of violence linked to Khan, including one instance of an axe being found in his bag.
The external report, commissioned by St Clare Catholic Multi-Academy Trust, which runs All Saints Catholic High, found behaviour records for Khan were not requested or reviewed before his "managed move" to the school in 2024.
Speaking ahead of the first anniversary of Harvey's murder, his dad Mark said his son would "100 per cent" be still alive if it wasn’t for the "missed opportunities."
Harvey’s mum, Caroline, added: "The worst thing for me is that there were 130 previous incidents, and All Saints still took him on. The school let them both down."
Speaking to LBC, Caroline added: "I can't believe I haven’t seen him in a year. But I can't stop and that’s what keeps me going."
The Willgoose family are calling for the Government to "take more control away from academies," like St Clare’s Catholic Multi Academy Trust.
"They’re a brand, they’re a law unto themselves," Caroline said.
"It’s all about their reputation and targets; it’s not about child safety."
The family say they are concerned about a lack of record sharing between schools when it comes to pupils with a violent past.
When those records of Khan's 130 incidents were transferred, the report has found that they were not read. This meant that staff at All Saints were unaware of his past.
When Khan was at All Saints, those incidents continued. In October 2024, pupils reported Khan carrying a knife and taking a BB gun on a school trip.
In December 2024, his mother found an axe in his bag which was reported to police but not followed up by the school.
That axe had been bought by Khan from another pupil at the school.
The review also found gaps in policy, multiple occasions where Government guidance was not followed, inadequate safeguarding checks around searching pupils, and delayed entries on an online child protection management system.
There was also no knives/weapons category in the system, meaning incidents were logged as ‘general behaviour.’
The report outlines ten recommendations for the school, the trust, Sheffield City Council, and the Department for Education.
They include:
Days after the stabbing, the Willgoose family were joined by anti-knife crime campaigners and members of the public to march through the streets of Sheffield where they called for people to put the knives down.
Since then, they’ve been campaigning for mandatory knife arches in schools with a number already being put in place in South Yorkshire, including at Penistone Grammar School in Barnsley.
"We’re trying to get more into schools," Caroline said.
"I think people are listening to me now. Parents are jumping on board."
On Khan, her son’s killer, Caroline told LBC: "I'm glad he’s been locked up for a long time. I won't ever forgive him. But he was failed. He was carrying an axe, which police knew about.
“If the school had checked his phone, they’d have seen his unhealthy interest with weapons. That could’ve been dealt with."
The Trust and the school say they have already "implemented a number of actions since February 2025, to ensure safeguarding matters are dealt with as robustly as possible."
These actions include:
CEO of the Trust, Steve Davies, said in a statement: "Harvey’s death was a profound tragedy for our community and our thoughts remain with his family.
"Not all questions about the events leading up to the tragedy were addressed by the criminal trial and we therefore commissioned this external investigation to bring as much transparency as possible to the situation.
"We are grateful to the investigator for his careful and thorough work, as well as to the members of our community who generously gave their time to support this important process. It is clear that the report identifies areas for improvement, including in relation to our processes, information-sharing, and training.
"We are engaging with an external safeguarding expert to advise on how we can implement the recommendations across the school and, where appropriate, the Trust as a whole.
"We have already implemented a number of robust measures over the last year and will continue to take action in line with the report’s recommendations and external advice from the statutory safeguarding agencies. The issues this report raises will also resonate more widely across the education sector."
'We hope the findings can contribute to a wider discussion about the support, guidance and frameworks schools need nationally to respond consistently and safely to the evolving safeguarding challenges affecting young people. Above all else, as we approach Harvey’s anniversary we remember his fun-loving and kind personality and extend our deepest condolences to his family and loved ones.'
LBC has contacted the government for comment.