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Children who bring weapons such as knives into schools should be expelled to prevent a repeat of tragedies such as the murder of 15-year-old Harvey Willgoose, Conservatives have said. Shadow Education Secretary Laura Trott is campaigning to change the law after Mohammed Umar Khan, also 15, was detained for life after stabbing Harvey with a hunting knife in their school courtyard during a lunch break.

Khan was known to have brought a knife into school on a previous occasion, and his mother had warned authorities after finding an axe in his bag. Ms Trott said she was shocked when school heads told her they were under pressure to keep children in school even if they were discovered with weapons – regardless of the dangers to other pupils. She said: “Inclusion should never come at the expense of safety.”

Along with Conservative members of the House of Lords, she has called for amendments to the Government’s Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill so that there is a presumption that pupils bringing a weapon onto school premises will be expelled.

Her proposals would also mean children are excluded for assaulting a teacher or for sexual assault.

Under the Tory plans, any child expelled from two schools would then be moved to “alternative provision”, such as a school specialising in support for youngsters with behavioural issues.

Headteachers have told her that they are under pressure from local authorities not to exclude pupils when a knife was discovered, but warned that this encouraged more pupils to bring deadly weapons to the classroom.

Harvey was stabbed through the heart with a hunting knife by his former friend at Sheffield’s All Saints Catholic High School in February.

Summing up evidence in a sentencing hearing last month, Judge Dame Naomi Lisa Ellenbogen said: “In December 2024, your mother had contacted the school, having found an axe in your bag.” She also said: “Prior to February 3, there had been at least one other occasion on which you had been in possession of a weapon – a knife on school premises, captured in a video clip and in photographs.”

Harvey’s mother, Caroline Willgoose, has said she believes both Harvey and his killer were failed. She said last week: “I think both of the boys have been let down, because there were so many red flags that this kid had problems, and an interest in weapons.”

Ms Trott said: “Harvey’s mother said earlier this week that the boys were let down, that there were red flags which were ignored.

“One of those red flags could not have been clearer. Mohammed’s mother had found an axe in his school bag and reported it to the school. He was later found with another weapon on school grounds, but he was still not excluded

“We should have zero tolerance for knives in our schools. In a split second, a weapon can destroy lives.

“At the time, Sheffield Council was trying to reduce exclusions; their own documents talk about ‘exclusion prevention’ and ‘challenging academies on exclusion’. But discouraging exclusions is wrong-headed. It is not what’s right for the other pupils in the class.”

A Sheffield Council spokesperson said the comments do not reflect current practice. Sheffield does not have a policy that prevents schools from excluding pupils where serious risks are identified and decisions are made by individual schools, the authority said.

A study by Peter Hyman, a former head teacher and ex-adviser to Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, warned that knife crime was the biggest concern for teenagers.

His report, published last week by think tank Demos, said: “Knife crime is the most commonly raised concern among young people. Young people across the country spoke about feeling unsafe and want it taken more seriously.” It followed conversations with more than 700 young people.

Police forces recorded 20,000 violent crimes in schools across England and Wales last year, including 150 stabbings or other knife crimes.