What is Knife Crime Awareness Week?
Knife Crime Awareness Week 2025 takes place from 19th – 25th May, this is an important annual event in the school year to talk with children about personal safety and making positive choices.
While knife crime is often viewed as an issue for secondary schools, there’s growing recognition that conversations must begin earlier – especially with Year 5 and 6 pupils, who are on the cusp of transitioning into adolescence and new social environments.
Recent findings from the Youth Endowment Fund’s “Children, Violence and Vulnerability” report reveal a troubling landscape:
🔍 Youth Endowment Fund’s “Children, Violence and Vulnerability” in Numbers
Teenagers are worried about becoming victims of violence
Have seen violence online
Have come across content involving weapons
Of children in relationships report experiencing controlling, abusive or violent behaviours
Source: Youth Endowment Fund, “Children, Violence and Vulnerability” report (2024). Based on a survey of over 10,000 young people aged 13–17 across England and Wales.
These figures are from a survey with 10,000 young people aged 13–17 across England and Wales, but they underline the urgent need for early intervention.
By Year 6, many pupils are already consuming similar content online, experiencing peer pressure, and forming attitudes about relationships, risk, and violence.
So how can we best approach the topic of knife crime awareness in an age appropriate way for Key Stage 2 level students?
In this blog, we’ll explore:
- How to talk about knife crime to KS2 students in an age-appropriate way?
- Practical ideas and activities for Knife Crime Awareness Week
- Free resources for Knife Crime Awareness Week
How to talk about knife crime to KS2 students in an age-appropriate way?
Addressing knife crime awareness in primary schools, particularly for Key Stage 2 (KS2) pupils, requires a thoughtful approach that balances education with sensitivity.
The goal is to inform students without using scare tactics or content that is frightening.
1. Understand the Importance of Early Intervention
Research indicates that early education can play a pivotal role in shaping attitudes toward violence and knife carrying. While robust evaluations are limited, some studies suggest that educational interventions can positively influence perceptions and attitudes among young people.
2. Focus on Skill Development instead of Consequences and Scare Tactics
Research from the Youth Endowment Fund shows social skills training programmes were effective at reducing youth violence. This includes helping children to understand emotions, resolve conflicts and make prosocial choices.
This approach was more effective than programmes focusing more on the negative consequences of knife crime.
With this in mind, lessons for Knife Crime Awareness Week can focus on social and emotional skills such as:
- Conflict Resolution: Teach pupils how to manage disagreements peacefully, emphasising empathy and active listening.
- Emotional Regulation: Equip students with strategies to handle strong emotions, reducing the likelihood of resorting to violence, such as the Mindfulness Stop Skill technique.
- Practice how to say no to Peer Pressure: Role-play scenarios where pupils practice saying no to peer pressure, reinforcing their confidence to make safe choices.
3. Create a Safe and Open Environment
Encourage an atmosphere where students feel comfortable discussing their concerns:
- Open Discussions: Allow pupils to share their thoughts and questions about knife crime and addressing misconceptions. One common misconception is that carrying a knife is more common than it actually is, so when exploring this topic we can explain that most young people do not carry knives.
- Support Systems: Inform students about trusted adults and support services such as Chidline or Fearless they can turn to if they need advice.
4. Reinforce Positive Behavior and School Values
Highlight the importance of your school values and how we can show these values even through small actions. As part of Knife Crime Awareness Week, you could plan a school project that promotes acts of kindness and positive behaviour towards others, reinforcing the value of making positive choices.
Practical ideas for Activities During Knife Crime Awareness Week
When it comes to sensitive topics like knife crime, interactive and creative approaches can help children explore complex ideas in a safe, age-appropriate way. Here are some practical activities that promote discussion, empathy, and critical thinking:
🎭 Mini Roleplays & Drama-Based Scenarios
Drama offers a safe space for children to step into someone else’s shoes and explore decision-making without real-world consequences.
Try these ideas:
- “What would you do?” freeze-frames – present a situation where someone is experiencing peer pressure (e.g. being pressured to download a certain app, or go to party). Students can then act out how they could respond to peer pressure in that situation, and try different, creative ways to say no.
- Story-based roleplay – take a character from a book or scenario and ask: How could this situation have been avoided? What choices could they have made instead?
Drama helps children rehearse positive behaviours and talk about safety without directly referencing real-life trauma.
🗣️ Circle Time Discussion Prompts
Circle time allows children to talk about feelings, peer pressure, and staying safe in a structured and supportive way.
Prompts you could use:
- “What makes someone a good friend?”
- “What would you do if you saw someone being unsafe online or in the playground?”
- “How do you know when something feels wrong?”
- “Who can you talk to if you’re worried about someone?”
Make sure ground rules are set (e.g. respect, listening, no pressure to share) and that follow-up support is available if needed.
Free Resources for Knife Crime Awareness Week
For further inspiration, look through these resources that can be used to support your work this Knife Crime Awareness Week.
We have created this poster, specifically to support knife crime awareness week, and encourage all young people to think through the steps they can take to stay safe.
Offers free PSHE lesson plans and assembly materials for Key Stages 2, 3, and 4. These resources are based on real-life testimonies from ex-gang members, victims, and offenders, providing impactful content for students
Provides downloadable PDF activity toolkits to help practitioners deliver violence and knife-carrying prevention messages in various settings. All resources are free to use and can be adapted for different educational contexts.
An initiative by author Christina Gabbitas, who was commissioned to write a story about knife crime and county lines to be used as a resource to warn young people about the dangers of involvement.
- PSHE Association – #KnifeFree – Lesson Plan (KS3)
- PSHE Association – #KnifeFree – Resources (KS3)
- PSHE Association – #KnifeFree – PowerPoint (KS3)
The PSHE Association, in collaboration with the Home Office’s #knifefree campaign, offers updated lesson plans designed to educate young people about the risks of carrying knives and to promote positive alternatives. These resources incorporate real-life stories to challenge misconceptions, manage peer influence, and encourage students to live knife-free.
This evidence-based guidance from the Youth Endowment Fund offers five practical, school-focused strategies to reduce children’s involvement in violence. It includes clear recommendations on building trusted relationships, improving attendance, and developing pupils’ social and emotional skills. Ideal for integrating into whole-school approaches and safeguarding strategies.
OpenView Education offers interactive, age-appropriate knife crime awareness workshops and assemblies for KS2 and Year 7 pupils. Using drama, storytelling and roleplay, these sessions help students explore peer pressure and strategies for making positive choices. The workshops are designed as early intervention tools and include follow-up lesson plans and teaching resources.
Conclusion: Creating Space for Positive Choices for Life
Knife Crime Awareness Week is more than a one-off event, it’s an opportunity to open up conversations and empower young people with the skills they need to stay safe and make positive choices.
For primary schools, especially in Upper KS2, early education can play a powerful role in prevention. By focusing on empathy and emotional resilience, we can help children develop the confidence to navigate risk and peer pressure both now and as they move into secondary school.
Whether you’re delivering a circle time, leading a drama activity, or simply having an honest conversation, your work matters. Together, we can build safer schools and stronger communities, one conversation at a time.
If you found this blog helpful, please share it with your colleagues — and let’s make Knife Crime Awareness Week 2025 a meaningful moment for our pupils.
🛡️ Support Knife Crime Awareness Week in Your School
Help your pupils make safe, positive choices with engaging, age-appropriate resources and interactive workshops.
