With rising concerns around youth violence and knife crime in the UK, schools are under growing pressure to respond with education that makes a meaningful impact. But while the urgency is clear, the approach we take matters.
Not all knife crime education programmes are equally effective, and some may do little to reduce risk or change behaviour.
The Youth Endowment Fund was established to fund and evaluate the most promising strategies to prevent youth violence. Their research offers schools a clear, evidence-informed guide to what works, and what doesn’t work in violence reduction.
The evidence shows that programmes relying solely on scare tactics or real-life case studies are not enough. In fact, when delivered without context or follow-up, these methods can have little or no impact and may even increase feelings of fear among young people.
Instead, the research points toward an approach that builds students’ social and emotional skills, strengthens relationships, and supports long-term behaviour change.
But what does the evidence say? And why does a skills-based approach to knife crime education make the biggest difference?
What the Youth Endowment Fund Found
The findings from the Youth Endowment Fund are clear: the most effective programmes go beyond simply raising awareness, they focus on helping young people develop the skills and support networks they need to make safer, more positive choices.
Download ‘What Works in Knife Crime Education’ PDF Here
In their 2023 technical report on Knife Crime Education Programmes, YEF evaluated the effectiveness of different school-based approaches to reducing violence. One of the strongest messages to come out of the research was this:
“There is little evidence that awareness-raising programmes that use scare tactics or focus solely on the consequences of knife crime have a lasting impact on behaviour.”
— Youth Endowment Fund, 2023
So what does work?
Their research showed that the most promising interventions include:
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Social and emotional skills training: helping students understand their feelings, regulate their emotions, and respond to conflict constructively
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Interactive learning: such as drama, role-play, and discussion-based activities that allow pupils to practise decision-making in realistic scenarios
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Trusted adult relationships: programmes that help young people build positive, stable connections with adults and mentors are associated with lower risk
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Sustained engagement: The most effective programmes build over time or are part of a wider strategy
In particular, their evaluation of social skills programmes found these had positive effects on reducing violence, especially when they included structured activities to build empathy and communication.
In contrast, programmes that focused solely on shocking stories, real-life testimonies, or hard-hitting statistics were shown to be less effective at influencing behaviour, especially when delivered in isolation or without context.
This evidence provides a crucial foundation for how we think about knife crime education in schools. Awareness is important, but on its own, it’s not enough. What makes the biggest difference is giving pupils the tools to handle peer pressure and make confident, informed choices.
Why We Focus on Skills (Not Just Stories)
At OpenView Education, our mission is to empower students with the skills and knowledge they need to stay safe and live successful, happy lives.
That’s why our approach to knife crime prevention is firmly rooted in skill development, not scare tactics.
We know that stories can be powerful. Real-life experiences can grab attention and create impact in the moment. But as the Youth Endowment Fund’s research shows, this alone is not enough to change long-term behaviour.
That’s why we use storytelling not to shock, but to settup activities in which pupils learn and apply practical strategies they can use to stay safe.
In our Positive Choices for Life Knife Crime Prevention programme, pupils meet a character called Cameron and hear his story. They then actively step in, and take an active role in shaping his story and supporting him to make a safer choice.
Through drama-based activities, group discussion and role-play, pupils learn:
- How to manage peer pressure and make safer, more informed decisions.
- What a gang is, and how a gang may recruit differently depending on gender.
- That most young people do not carry knives, and it may be less common than they think.
- How to keep themselves and others safe and when a situation may pose a risk.
- The consequences of knife crime.
- How to identify healthy friendships.
- Where to go for help and how to access community support services.
We’ve designed our workshops for Key Stage 2, where early intervention is key. At this age, students are forming their attitudes toward risk, relationships and belonging.
We take this same proactive approach in our anti-bullying workshops and online safety workshops, helping pupils develop digital resilience and social skills they need to thrive.
What Works in Knife Crime Education?
Better Prepared for Positive Choices
As the evidence shows, effective knife crime education isn’t about shocking students into awareness. It’s about equipping them with the skills, understanding and confidence to make safer, more positive choices, now and in the future.
When we invest in building emotional resilience, teaching conflict resolution, and practising how to say no, we create real opportunities for change. These approaches don’t just reduce risk in the short term, they lay the foundations for young people to navigate peer pressure, relationships and challenges in everyday life.
At OpenView Education, our Positive Choices for Life programme is built around this approach. Using interactive storytelling, drama and role-play, we help students explore real-life situations and rehearse the skills they need to respond safely and confidently.
If your school is looking for a proactive, research-aligned way to raise awareness of knife crime and promote positive behaviour, we’d love to help.
👉 Find out more or book a visit here.
📥 Free Download:
What Works in Knife Crime Education: Evidence-Based Checklist for Schools
To support your planning, we’ve created a free, printable checklist that summarises the key evidence from the Youth Endowment Fund. Use it to evaluate your existing approach or share with colleagues and SLT.
✅ Practical and easy to use
✅ Based on trusted research
✅ Designed to support PSHE, RSE and safeguarding
