This is a chronological list of school attacks in the United Kingdom, cases that occurred in England, Scotland, and Northern Ireland.
The term "attack" excludes cases of accidents, attacks committed by police officers, and suicides of one or more people.
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| Date | Location | Perpetrator(s) | Dead | Injured | Total | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 September 1595 | Edinburgh, Scotland | William Sinclair, 13 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 13-year-old William Sinclair, whom was a member of Clan Sinclair, fired a pistol from a window at Edinburgh High School during a riot, killing bailie John MacMorran. Due to his royal ties, Sinclair was pardoned and never punished for the murder. [1] |
| 6 November 1890 | Oxford, England | Catherine Riordan | 0 | 1 | 1 | In an apparent romantic dispute, Catherine Riordan shot University of Oxford College master James Franck Bright outside his home on the collage grounds. [2] |
| 5 December 1891 | London, England | Francisco Blanes, 15 | 0 | 1 [n 1] | 1 | Following a physical dispute on the grounds of Tooting College between 15-year-old foreign students Francisco Blanes and Fernando Maximo du Sousa, Blanes pulled out a gun and fired a shot, striking a school wall. Blanes was disarmed and arrested. [3] |
| 1 February 1913 | London, England | Frederick Sauri, 16 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 16-year-old student Frederick Sauri attempted to murder fellow student Manuel Coello at Forest House School, Woodford. [4] |
| 3 June 1930 | Cambridge, England | Douglas Potts, 19 | 3 [n 1] | 0 | 3 | 19-year-old student Douglas Potts shot and killed tutor Sandy Wollaston as well as a policeman before committing suicide at King's College. [5] |
| 14 September 1933 | Radernie, Scotland | Unknown | 0 | 0 | 0 | A man recklessly shot at a window of Radernie Public School while school children were inside the classroom. [6] |
| 27 December 1935 | Belfast, Northern Ireland | Jimmy Steele, numerous other Irish Republican Army fighters | 0 | 1 | 1 | Irish Republican Jimmy Steele led an attempted raid by the Irish Republican Army on Campbell College to secure weaponry that was inside. The RUC was aware of the plot and awaited the assailants, which resulted in a brief gun fight, causing Constable Ian Hay to be wounded. [7] |
| 17 May 1940 | Oxford, England | John Fulljames, 19 | 1 | 3 | 4 | Three students were injured and a fourth killed after being shot at Oxford University. 19-year-old John Fulljames, who fired the shots through his window, was arrested. [8] |
| 10 September 1940 | London, England | Unknown | 77 (possibly higher) | Unknown | 77 | South Hallsville School in Canning Town was bombed during a German air raid whilst its basement was in use as an air raid shelter. Official government figures state 77 were killed in the bombing, however it is speculated the actual number of deaths was much higher. [9] |
| 20 January 1943 | London, England | Heinz Schumann, 28 (Luftwaffe) | 44 | 60 | 104 | Bombing of Sandhurst Road School: A German fighter-bomber bombed Sandhurst Road School during an air raid above London. 44 people died, and 60 were injured. The pilot was identified as 28-year-old Heinz Schumann. |
| 16 October 1945 | London, England | Unnamed, 13 | 1 | 0 | 1 | As teacher Cyril Morris lectured students who had not completed their homework at William Morris School in Walthamstow, a student shot and wounded him. A 13-year-old was arrested. [10] |
| 15 February 1947 | Eccleshall, England | Gerald Cawley | 1 | 0 | 1 | Standon Farm School shooting: Nine Standon Farm Approved School students conspired to murder their headteacher and stole rifles from the cadet armoury to do so. A teacher interrupted the burglary, causing one of the boys to shoot and kill him. |
| 20 September 1948 | Hemingford Grey, England | Michael Uramowski, 32 | 2 [n 1] | 0 | 2 | Michael Uramowski, 32, broke into his ex-wife's school and killed her in the schoolyard before killing himself. The victim was a local teacher. [11] |
| 26 March 1958 | Ashington, England | Unknown | 0 | 1 | 1 | A 13-year-old was grazed by a gunshot in the schoolyard of Hirst Park County Secondary School. [12] |
| 7 April 1959 | Rotherham, England | Bernard Walden, 33 | 2 | 0 | 2 | Teacher Bernard Walden, 33, armed inside Rotherham College, killed a former student and a staff member before being arrested. [13] |
| 29 June 1964 | Cumnor, England | Unknown | 0 | 2 | 2 | An intruder broke into a girl's dormitory at a finishing school, causing a headmistress and a student to receive blunt injuries. The intruder was scared off after a shotgun was discharged, missing him, and successfully escaped. [14] |
| 1 November 1967 | Dundee, Scotland | Robert Mone, 19 | 1 | 2 | 3 | Dundee school shooting: Former student Robert Mone took teacher Nanette Hanson and a class of students hostage at St John's Roman Catholic High School. Mone fatally shot Hanson and sexually assaulted two girls before being arrested. |
| 1972 | Grangemouth, Scotland | James Gallacher, 16 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 16-year-old James Gallacher fired a rifle into a playground at Moray High School, wounding a boy taking driving lessons in the arm. [15] |
| 18 March 1976 | Alton, England | Unnamed, 16 | 0 | 1 | 1 | A 16-year-old school girl took 26 students at Amery Hill School hostage for nearly two hours. As police subdued the hostage-taker, the gun discharged into the ceiling, wounding one student with falling plaster. [16] |
| 7 June 1978 | Bournemouth, England | Unnamed | 0 | 1 | 1 | A policeman was shot on the grounds of Summerbee School after responding to reports of intruders in the classrooms. [17] |
| 11 November 1987 | London, England | Rajinder Singh Batth, 37 Mangit Singh Sunder, 25 | 3 | 3 [n 1] | 6 | Dormers Wells High School shooting: Three men were shot dead and three others, including both gunmen who committed the attack, were wounded. The attack occurred at Dormers Wells High School. |
| 6 January 1988 | Higham Ferrers, England | Darren Lloyd Fowler, 16 | 0 | 4 | 4 | Ferrers School shooting: Darren Lloyd Fowler, a 16-year-old student, opened fire and injured two students and two teachers inside Ferrers School. |
| 5 March 1991 | Bristol, England | Andre Crumpton, 15 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 15-year-old Andre Crumpton opened fire inside a classroom at Colston's School, wounding housemaster Roderick Findlay before fleeing. He had apparently planned to kill at least eight people. [18] [19] |
| 10 April 1991 | Glasgow, Scotland | Barbara Glover, 16 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 16-year-old Diane Watson is stabbed to death by 16-year-old Barbara Glover at Whitehill Secondary School in the Dennistoun area of Glasgow. [20] |
| 28 March 1994 | Middlesbrough, England | Stephen Wilkinson, 29 | 1 | 2 | 3 | Stephen Wilkinson, a 29-year-old schizophrenic, stormed Hall Garth Community Arts College and stabbed three students, killing a 12-year-old, before being subdued and arrested. [21] |
| 17 June 1994 | Holywood, County Down, Northern Ireland | Garnet Bell, 46 | 0 | 6 | 6 | Garnet Bell, a 46-year-old former student of Sullivan Upper School, injured six students, three of them seriously, using a flamethrower. [22] |
| 24 October 1994 | Dulverton, England | Unnamed, 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | A 13-year-old student deliberately fired a shotgun several times at Dulverton Middle School before being arrested, injuring no one. [23] |
| 8 December 1995 | London, England | Learco Chindamo, 15 | 1 | 1 | 2 | Murder of Philip Lawrence: Philip Lawrence was stabbed to death outside the gates of his school by 15-year-old gang member Learco Chindamo at St George's Roman Catholic Secondary School. He had attempted to intervene in the beating of a 13-year-old pupil by Chindamo. |
| 13 March 1996 | Dunblane, Scotland | Thomas Hamilton, 43 | 18 [n 1] | 15 | 33 | Dunblane massacre: Thomas Hamilton, 43, stormed Dunblane Primary School and opened fire on students and teachers before committing suicide. It is the deadliest mass shooting in British history. |
| 8 July 1996 | Wolverhampton, England | Horrett Irving Campbell, 32 | 0 | 7 | 7 | Wolverhampton machete attack: Three children and four adults were stabbed by Horrett Irving Campbell during a picnic at St. Luke's School. One of the adults was seriously injured. It was later established that Campbell was schizophrenic. |
| 3 June 2004 | Belfast, Northern Ireland | Unknown (possibly Irish National Liberation Army) | 1 | 0 | 1 | 31-year-old Kevin McAlorum was shot to death whilst sitting in his car in the driveway of Oakwood Primary School. The assailants were believed to have had ties to the Irish National Liberation Army. [24] |
| 22 April 2005 | Tempo, Northern Ireland | Fergus Cleary, 71 | 0 | 1 | 1 | Elderly Fergus Cleary shot and wounded 5-year-old Darragh Somers as he was on the playground of St Patrick's Primary School. [25] |
| 11 March 2007 | Loughborough, England | Unnamed, 22 | 0 | 1 | 1 | A man was shot in the abdomen after an argument at a concert hosted by Loughborough University. [26] |
| 22 June 2009 | Walsall, England | Unnamed, 14 | 0 | 1 | 1 | Two 14-year-old boys got into a fight over a football game when one of them pulled out a knife and stabbed his opponent in the upper thigh. [27] |
| 2 July 2010 | London, England | Three unnamed | 1 | 1 | 2 | Two students were stabbed at Park Campus School; one, a 15-year-old, died, and the other was injured. Three people were arrested after the crime. [28] |
| 9 October 2012 | Norfolk, England | unnamed, 17 | 0 | 1 | 1 | A student stabbed another student in the shoulder and elbow at Langley School. The 17-year-old suspect was arrested on suspicion of causing grievous bodily harm with intent. [29] |
| 28 April 2014 | Leeds, England | William Cornick, 15 | 1 | 0 | 1 | Murder of Ann Maguire: Whilst teaching a Spanish lesson at Corpus Christi College in Leeds, teacher Ann Maguire was abruptly stabbed by 15-year-old pupil Will Cornick. Cornick had apparently discussed "brutally murdering" Maguire with friends prior to the attack. |
| 11 June 2015 | Bradford, England | unnamed, 14 | 0 | 1 | 1 | Vincent Uzomah, a black teacher at Dixons Kings Academy in Bradford was stabbed in a racially motivated attack whilst teaching a lesson. The perpetrator, who was of Pakistani origin, was a 14-year-old pupil. [30] |
| 28 October 2015 | Aberdeen, Scotland | Daniel Stroud, 16 | 1 | 0 | 1 | A 16-year-old student was stabbed to death at Cults Academy. A fellow student was arrested. [31] |
| 4 December 2018 | Belfast, Northern Ireland | Unknown | 1 | 0 | 1 | A man who was waiting for his son outside a primary school in Belfast was shot dead. [32] |
| 11 December 2019 | Formby, England | Axel Rudakubana, 13 | 0 | 1 | 1 | Axel Rudakubana, a 13-year-old former student at Range High School who had been expelled earlier for bringing a knife onto the premises, returned to the school and attacked another student with a hockey stick before being subdued. Rudakubana would later go onto perpetrate the 2024 Southport stabbings. [33] |
| 5 February 2023 | Near Epsom, England | George Pattinson, 39 | 3 [n 1] | 0 | 3 | On the grounds of Epsom College, 39-year-old George Pattinson killed his 45-year-old wife and 7-year-old daughter before killing himself. [34] |
| 9 June 2023 | Tiverton, England | Thomas Wei Huang, 16 | 0 | 3 | 3 | A 16-year-old Malaysian student boarding at Blundell's School attacked two other students and a teacher with claw hammers. [35] |
| 24 April 2024 | Ammanford, Wales | Unnamed, 13 | 0 | 3 | 3 | Two teachers and a student were stabbed by a 13-year-old female student. [36] |
| 1 May 2024 | Sheffield, England | Louis Melotte, 17 | 0 | 3 | 3 | A 17-year-old student from Birley Academy, armed with a shard of glass, attacked two staff members and a 12-year-old student before being detained. [37] |
| 3 February 2025 | Sheffield, England | Mohammed Umar Khan, 15 | 1 | 0 | 1 | Murder of Harvey Willgoose : 15-year-old Harvey Willgoose was stabbed by fellow pupil Mohammed Khan at All Saints Catholic High School follwing a personal grievance between the two. |
| 24 April 2025 | Aberdeen, Scotland | Unnamed, 14 | 0 | 1 | 1 | A 14-year-old girl attacked a 12-year-old girl with a knife at Hazlehead Academy. [38] |
| 2 May 2025 | Caddington, England | Unnamed, 16 | 0 | 2 | 2 | A 16 year old boy stabbed 2 people at Manshead Church of England Academy with only minor injuries. The boy admitted to wounding, false imprisonment and threats with a knife. [39] [40] [41] |
| 6 November 2025 | Reading, England | Two unnamed, 17 & 16 | 0 | 1 | 1 | A person was injured following a stabbing at Reading College, causing a large response from the police. The perpetrators, a 17-year-old and 16-year-old male, were later arrested, and charged with intent and possessing a bladed article on school premises and assault by beating respectively. [42] [43] |
| 10 February 2026 | London, England | Unnamed, 13 | 0 | 2 | 2 | Kingsbury High School stabbing: Two students, aged 12 and 13, were stabbed at Kingsbury High School; a 13-year-old classmate was arrested. |
| 11 March 2026 | Norwich, England | Unnamed, 15 | 0 | 1 | 1 | A 15-year-old male was arrested after a female student was injured via stabbing at Thorpe St Andrew School in Norwich. The incident caused a large police response and a lockdown that lasted approximately 3 hours. [44] |