Huddersfield school murder: Khayri Mclean's headteacher calls for action against knife crime

Khayri Mclean was stabbed outside North Huddersfield Trust School (NHTS) in Woodhouse Hill at 2.45pm on Wednesday (Sep 21) and died in hospital.

Two teenagers, aged 15 and 16, have been arrested and charged with his murder. The boys, who cannot be named for legal reasons, appeared at Leeds Magistrates’ Court on Monday.

Tributes poured in to Khayri following his death, and messages, flowers and items were left outside the school in the wake of the shocking incident. A minute’s silence was also held in memory of Khayri outside the school gates this afternoon.

His headteacher, Andrew Fell, made a statement outside the school today calling for communities to come together and end the ‘scourge’ of knife crime.

Standing alongside his members of staff, governors, community partners and senior members of staff from other secondary and primary schools in the area, he said everyone has a part to play in combatting knife crime.

"A week ago today, the worst nightmare a parent can have became a brutal reality, with the tragic death of Khayri Mclean,” he said. “Today, we stand together as a community in support of Khayri's family. We are united in shock, numbed by grief and determined that this tragedy must become a catalyst for change.

“Khayri was just 15 years old. A week ago today, the hopes, dreams and aspirations of a member of our school community were taken from him in an unimaginably cruel fashion. Staff and students, as we try to process what happened, remain bewildered and grief-stricken; we are here today to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Khayri's family.

“The proverb ‘it takes a village to raise a child’ was popularised by Hilary Clinton. If this is true, it will take every village, every town, every city and every community to come together to protect all of our children; each and every one of us has to accept responsibility that knife crime is a scourge on our society and that we all have a part to play in combatting it.

“Something simply has to change. It is a stark reality, that these kinds of deaths are seen as so commonplace, they barely rate more than a paragraph on the inside pages of national newspapers. Lives - and specifically the lives of children - are surely worth more than that?

“The only way this will change is through a coordinated, systematic approach to identifying, monitoring and supporting those who are vulnerable, coupled with an unwavering focus on those who draw our children into a world where it is seen as normal and acceptable to carry and wield weapons that can kill.

“Silence does nothing other than create acceptance. The community we serve is no different to many hundreds of others across our country. This issue is endemic; if we don't put counter-measures in place, it will only grow worse.”

While admitting he did not have all the answers, he called on every part of the community to join them and helping to try and break the cycle of knife crime deaths. He also called on the Government and local politicians to support the pledge.

He added: “We will only do this if everyone pulls in the same direction. This not only relies on Government ministers and politicians, leaders of council services and those who work within local authorities, medical, health and crime prevention services, community and faith organisations, schools and colleges but also parents and carers, family members, next door neighbours, friends, acquaintances ... anyone with the knowledge of how, why and where the scourge of knife crime is presenting danger to our children. It is your duty to speak out.

“To say nothing is to potentially risk the death of another child.”