Operation Sceptre: Knives, the Law and Safer Choices (KS3)

Audience: Key Stage 3 (ages 11 to 14). Length: 50 minutes.

Before you teach:

Speak to your DSL before delivering this lesson. Some pupils may have been affected by knife crime or know someone who has. Agree ground rules, do not use graphic images, and make sure pupils know who they can talk to afterwards. If a pupil discloses anything, follow your school's safeguarding procedures.

Learning outcomes. By the end of the lesson pupils will be able to:

Explain what Operation Sceptre is and why police run it.
State the basic law on carrying knives in England and Wales.
Challenge the myth that carrying a knife keeps you safe.
Recognise pressure and exploitation, and name safe ways to get help.

Starter: Myth or fact? (10 minutes)

Read out each statement. Pupils stand or show cards for myth or fact, then discuss.

"Carrying a knife keeps you safe." Myth. Carrying a knife makes it more likely, not less, that you will be seriously hurt, because a situation can escalate and the knife can be used against you.
"Most young people carry knives." Myth. The vast majority never do.
"You can go to prison for carrying a knife even if you never use it." Fact. Up to 4 years.
"It's legal to carry any knife if it's for protection." Myth. Protection is not a legal reason.
"Shops are not allowed to sell knives to under-18s." Fact.

Main activity 1: What is Operation Sceptre? (8 minutes)

Explain that twice a year all police forces in England and Wales run a week of action on knife crime. Activities include knife surrender bins, weapons sweeps in parks and alleys, checking shops do not sell knives to under-18s, and visiting schools. Share one fact: in one week in March 2019, police took 10,960 knives off the streets. Ask pupils: why do you think police focus on prevention and education, not just arrests?

Main activity 2: The law in plain English (7 minutes)

Pupils sort cards into "legal" and "illegal":

Carrying a kitchen knife in your bag to a party. Illegal.
Carrying a small folding pocket knife (blade 3 inches or less) to school. Illegal: no knives on school premises without a good reason.
An adult buying a kitchen knife from a shop. Legal.
A 15-year-old buying a knife online. Illegal for the seller.
Owning a zombie-style knife or ninja sword. Illegal: these are banned.

Summarise: carrying a knife in public or at school without a good reason is a crime, and fear is not a legal reason.

Main activity 3: Pressure and choices scenarios (15 minutes)

In small groups, pupils read one scenario and answer: How might this person be feeling? What are the risks? What could they do? Who could they tell?

Scenario A: Jay, 13, has been threatened online by older pupils from another school and his friend says he should carry something "just in case".

Scenario B: Mia, 14, has new older friends who buy her food and give her lifts. One of them asks her to keep a package and a knife in her bag for a few days.

Scenario C: Sam, 12, finds a knife hidden in a bush near the park on the way home.

Take feedback. Key teaching points: threats should be reported to a trusted adult or police; being asked to hold items by older people can be a sign of criminal exploitation and the young person is not in trouble for asking for help; never pick up a found weapon, move away and tell an adult or call 101 (999 if there is immediate danger).

Plenary: Where can I get help? (10 minutes)

Pupils create a "help card" for their pocket or phone listing: a trusted adult at home, a trusted adult at school, 999 in an emergency, 101 for police non-emergency, Fearless (fearless.org) to report anonymously, and Childline on 0800 1111. Finish with an exit ticket: one thing I learned today, and one person I could talk to.

Differentiation:

Support: provide sentence starters and picture cards for the law activity.
Stretch: pupils write a short social media post for the #OpSceptre campaign aimed at Year 7s.

Links: Operation Sceptre article; Knife Crime CPD module for staff.