Calls for bleed kits in schools after pupil death

Two parents in Sheffield are leading calls for schools in the city to have emergency bleed control kits after the fatal stabbing of Harvey Willgoose.

The kits are designed to help bystanders stabilise someone who is bleeding badly until medical help arrives.

Jayne Mason and Caron Britton, who run the S12 Community Pantry at Scowerdons Community Centre in Birley, are lobbying Sheffield City Council to help bring in the measure.

The council said decisions around security and support measures for pupils inside schools were taken at a local level by school and trust leaders.

However, the council said it offered support to schools where it could in relation to children's safety.

Ms Mason said: "If we can prevent just one child from dying then that's what this is all about."

The pair hope to get the opportunity to speak in the council chamber about the issue after their petition closes.

"We feel that a bleed kit in every school could prevent deaths like that of Harvey Willgoose," it states.

The 15-year-old pupil was stabbed twice in the chest at All Saints Catholic High School on 3 February.

A 15-year-old boy, who cannot be named due to his age, has been charged with Harvey's murder, as well as possession of a bladed article and affray.

In 2024, the parents petitioned the council for lockdown alarms and drills to become standard practice in schools following a violent incident at Birley Academy.

Ms Britton told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: "It's scary because you send your kids to school to be safe.

"This follows on from the petition from last year for safer schools – it is all linked."

Discussing the bleed kits, she added: "They're not that expensive and it's something to grab if need be."

Listen to highlights from South Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North