Early Intervention Knife Crime Programme for Councils
Empowering Young People and Strengthening Communities
What can local authorities do to reduce knife crime in their communities?
OpenView Education works in partnership with councils to deliver interactive knife crime reduction workshops for children and young people, an early intervention programme designed for students in Key Stage 2 to Year 7 of secondary school.
Our approach aligns with safeguarding responsibilities under the following legislation:
- The Children Act 2004,
- The Crime and Disorder Act 1998
- The Serious Violence Duty (introduced by the Offensive Weapons Act 2019.)
Proven Track Record: Our Successful Commissions & Impact
OpenView Education has worked with YMCA East Surrey delivering Anti-Bullying Workshops and Mental Health and Wellbeing Workshops to schools in the East Surrey area.
We have been commisioned by YMCA East Surrey on five separate occasions throughout the academic year since 2022.
‘OpenView Education is a pleasure to work with! The workshops were excellent, engaging and pitched just right for the age and ability of the children whether delivered in schools or at our community venues.
We were particularly impressed with the interactive activities. We also loved that the workshops were available from EYFS right through to KS2.
We had great feedback from every teacher, children’s practitioner and youth worker who attended the workshops, who said they were fun, interesting and that young people really enjoyed them.’
Judith Brooks,
Head of Children and Young People and Deputy CEO
YMCA East Surrey
Key Results from our most recent commission with YMCA East Surrey:
→ We visited 19 schools.
→ We delivered 77 workshops.
→ We reached 2,240 young people across East Surrey.
→ The average score from all schools was 9.7 out of 10.
Read the full impact report including feedback from teachers here.
Since 2019, we have partnered with Middlesex University to develop bespoke programmes that support student wellbeing.
Through three separate commissions, we have delivered engaging live workshops, interactive presentations, and a tailored online video series, which was distributed to students during lockdowns.
These programmes were designed to signpost essential student services and equip students with the skills and knowledge to thrive at university, ensuring they feel supported and informed for their time at university.
‘OpenView Education are true to their mission – students at Middlesex University who attended the sessions bore testimony to OpenView’s claim – they truly do “equip students with the self-confidence and knowledge they need to stay safe and to live successful, happy lives.
Working with OpenView has been fun, productive and impactful.
They are highly professional in approach, and have great understanding of how best to engage students in exploratory and learning activities.’
Julie Crabb
Head of Student Support and Wellbeing
Middlesex University
Why Commission our Knife Crime Awareness Programme for your community?
Supports Statutory Safeguarding Obligations
Supports you to protect children and families in your community. This is in alignment with the Children Act 2004 and Working Together to Safeguard Children guidance.
Our Positive Choices for Life programme forms part of the proactive measures you are taking to reduce youth violence in your community.
Measurable Outcomes
We provide clear success metrics, including student and teacher feedback and demonstrating the increased awareness of support services
Our evidence-based approach helps you demonstrate tangible impact to local councillors and the wider community.
Provides Value for Money
Research indicates that effective early intervention programmes can save local authorities thousands of pounds per year in reduced policing and social care costs.
Our flexible commissioning options enable councils to gradually increase the reach of the programme gathering feedback on an ongoing basis.
Engaging & Age-Appropriate
- Because the programme is specifically created for KS2 and Year 7 students, we ensure the content is accessible, relevant, and impactful.
- Our workshops are highly interactive, using role-play and scenario-based learning. This approach encourages long-lasting behavior change and increases the accessibility of the programme for a range of abilities.
- Our Early intervention programme focuses on providing students with skills for staying safe, and doesn’t use scare tactics.
Proven Track Record
Our workshops are experienced by over 100,000 students every year. From years of working alongside schools, we understand how to deliver sensitive subjects in an engaging and age appropriate way.
Collaborative Approach
When you commission a programme with us, we will work alongside you to align our programme with your strategic goals.
Long-term Impact
- Every school receives lesson plans and resources to extend the learning. This means the programme has long-term impact and supports the schools in continuing the education on this topic.
We Make it Easy
We take care of the logistics of the tour, arranging the timetables and booking in the schools.
Along the way we report back regularly on the progress.
Programme Details:
What Students Learn & How It’s Delivered
Programme Objectives:
Our programme focuses on raising awareness of the risks associated with knife crime, empowering young people with knowledge about gang influence, and practising essential skills to resist peer pressure.
This early intervention approach works alongside wider community efforts, including school safeguarding policies, mentoring programmes, and law enforcement initiatives, as part of a comprehensive and holistic strategy for tackling knife crime.
Your young people will learn:
- How to Manage peer pressure and make safer, more informed decisions.
- Understand how to keep themselves and others safe and when a situation may pose a risk.
- Recognise that knife crime has serious legal and personal consequences affecting victims, perpetrators, and the wider community.
- Identify healthy friendships—where respect and support are the norm—and practice having challenging conversations about safety concerns.
- Understand what a gang is, and how this is different from a friendship group.
- Know where to go for help and how to access community support services.
Programme Structure:
Positive Choices for Life – Performative Presentation
The programme begins with a performative presentation introducing the key themes around knife crime.
This session caters for large groups of upto 240 students.
Delivered by a professional performer, the presentation includes character monologues, engaging animations and interactive elements with students taking part.
In the presentation, students will meet a character called Cameron and hear his story. Through completing a series of challenges, your students will show Cameron how to say no to peer pressure and access the support that he needs.
Positive Choices for Life – Interactive Workshops
After the presentation, students will then take part in individual class workshops where they will explore the themes raised in the main Assembly in more depth. This includes understanding the law around knife crime, how it’s never ok to carry a knife and the difference between a friendship group and a gang.
Through role-play, students will then practice how we can say no to peer pressure in a clear, confident way.
Workshops cater for upto 30 students per session.
Next Steps…
James
Co-Founder
Laura
Co-Founder
If you’re looking for a cost-effective, evidence-based approach to tackling knife crime and strengthening safeguarding in your community, we’re here to help.
Contact James to discuss how our early intervention Knife Crime Awareness Programme can be commissioned for your local authority.
- Email us: james@openvieweducation.co.uk
- Call us: 0207 459 4473
Or fill in our short enquiry form below, and a dedicated member of our team will respond with the best options for your area.
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