Posession of an Offence Weapon or Blade

Possession of an Offensive Weapon or Bladed Article

This offence may apply where a pupil possesses, carries, brings onto site, stores, conceals, displays, or has access to an offensive weapon, bladed article, imitation weapon, or other item capable of being used to cause fear or injury.

Step 1 – Determining the offence category

You should determine the offence category with reference only to the factors in the tables below. In order to determine the category, you should assess culpability and harm.

Culpability

The level of culpability or blame is worked out by looking at all the factors involved in the incident. If there are elements that point to different levels of blame, you should weigh these up carefully and give the most relevant ones the right amount of importance to reach a fair judgement about the person’s level of responsibility.

A – High culpability

Possession of a bladed article
Possession of a highly dangerous weapon
Possession of a weapon brought deliberately onto the school site
Weapon displayed, revealed, or referred to in order to intimidate, threaten, or control others
Possession linked to an intention to cause fear, injury, retaliation, or confrontation
Significant degree of planning or premeditation
Concealment of the weapon in clothing, a bag, locker, or another location on site
Weapon possessed as part of a wider incident involving threats, assault, gang association, intimidation, or planned conflict
Possession directed towards a member of staff or a vulnerable pupil
Offence motivated by, or demonstrating hostility based on, religion, race, disability, sexual orientation, or transgender identity
Leading role in a group incident involving a weapon

B – Medium culpability

Possession of a weapon other than a bladed article or highly dangerous weapon
Weapon used to threaten, alarm, or cause fear, but without the highest level of intent or planning
Deliberate possession of a prohibited item on the school site
Awareness that the item could be used as a weapon
Some planning, discussion, or preparation
Secondary or supporting role in a group incident
Incident falling between categories A and C

C – Lesser culpability

Possession of a weapon other than a bladed article or highly dangerous weapon, not used to threaten or cause fear
Limited or unclear evidence of intent to use the item aggressively
Brief or opportunistic possession rather than significant planning
Possession arising from immature judgement rather than a clear intention to intimidate or harm
Responsibility substantially reduced by age, immaturity, learning difficulty, or personal circumstances
Limited role in a wider group incident

Harm

Harm 1

Serious psychological harm and/or substantial impact upon a victim or wider school community
Serious threat towards a member of staff or pupil
Weapon displayed or referred to in a way that caused serious fear or panic
Threat made in an enclosed area
Threat made in the presence of vulnerable or younger pupils
Serious disruption to the school day, safety, or orderly running of the school
Serious safeguarding concern created
Serious reputational impact on the school

Harm 2

Indirect verbal threat towards a member of staff or pupil
Clear fear, distress, or alarm caused to others
Noticeable disruption to staff time, learning, or school routines
Harm falling between categories 1 and 3 because:
factors are present in 1 and 3 which balance each other out and/or
the harm falls between the factors described in 1 and 3

Harm 3

Some psychological harm and/or impact upon others
No serious threat towards a member of staff or pupil
No direct threat was made to use the article or weapon
Limited wider disruption once the incident was brought under control
Lower level impact on the school community

Step 2 – Starting point and category range

Having identified the level of culpability and harm decide on a starting point within the category range above. The starting point applies to all offenders irrespective of personal circumstances or previous exclusions. It is at the schools’ discretion how many exclusion days are served externally and internally within each category.

Step 3 – Take into consideration Aggravating and Mitigating factors

The school could consider any adjustment for any aggravating or mitigating factors. Below is a non-exhaustive list of additional factual elements providing the context of the offence and factors relating to the offender.

Identify whether any combination of these, or other relevant factors, should result in an upward or downward adjustment from the starting point of punitive action.

Factors increasing seriousness (Aggravation Factors)

Previous similar offences, having regard to:
the nature of a previous offence and its relevance to the current offence; and
the time elapsed since the previous offence
Verbal threat of harm to a member of staff or pupil
Threat of harm through possession, display, or reference to the weapon
Deliberate bringing of the weapon onto school site
In school or while in school uniform
In the presence of others, especially younger pupils or the general public
Taking a lead role in a group incident
Failure to comply with previous school sanctions
Attempts to conceal the item or unwillingness to admit to the offence
Persistent pattern of defiance, intimidation, or related misconduct
Evidence of planning, retaliation, or intended confrontation
Impact on the reputation of the school

Factors reducing seriousness or reflecting personal mitigation

No previous similar offences or no relevant or recent offences
Genuine remorse
Good character and/or exemplary conduct
Isolated incident
Early admission and cooperation
Age and/or lack of maturity
Learning difficulties or Additional Learning Needs
Family circumstances
Limited understanding of the seriousness of the item in lower-level cases
Limited role in a wider incident

Safeguarding issues should be considered separately and are not necessarily mitigating factors.

Step 4 – Adjust starting point and category range

Having taken into consideration all aggravating and mitigating factors adjust starting point as deemed best fit.

Where the incident involves a bladed article, a highly dangerous weapon, deliberate concealment, threats, intimidation, or a wider safeguarding risk, an upward adjustment is likely to be appropriate.

Where the incident is isolated, involves lower harm, limited intent, and clear personal mitigation, a downward adjustment may be appropriate, while recognising the seriousness of any weapon-related matter in school.