An action from the National Behaviour Summit in 2025, the all
Wales approach will build on the guidance Cardiff Council
launched in autumn 2025 to provide simple and practical advice to
Cardiff schools.
Cardiff Council will lead work with local authorities and
partners to develop a consistent approach for schools across
Wales to manage incidents where children take weapons onto school
premises, or are reasonably suspected of being in possession of a
weapon on school premises.
The work will include engagement with partners right across Wales
and consider best practice and the latest evidence, engaging with
young people families and communities throughout the process.
Based on the principles of Cardiff's Weapons in Schools and
Education Settings (WISES) protocol, the working group will
develop an adaptable set of resources to guide schools and local
authorities across Wales.
The new resources will support the Welsh Governments existing
'safe and effective intervention: use of reasonable force and
searching for weapons guidance', which sets out how schools in
Wales can search pupils suspected of carrying a weapon.
The new resources aim to ensure a robust, consistent, fair and
trauma informed approach, to promote understanding of legal
requirements, and to provide safeguarding and support to all
staff and learners, including those learners found in possession
of a weapon.
The Cardiff Council WISES guidance was co-produced with a wide
range of partners, including South Wales Police, governors, trade
unions, youth services and violence prevention experts. With
children and young people consulted.
Cardiff Council's Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Education,
Cllr said:
The news that Welsh Government has chosen to adopt Cardiff's
guidance as the basis for a national roll-out is incredibly
positive. This is a significant endorsement of the work we have
developed with schools, partners and communities, and reflects
the impact it is already having in helping to keep young people
and school staff safe.
The guidance has been recognised as national best practice,
winning at the Wales Safer Communities Awards, and its adoption
across Wales means even more schools will benefit from a clear,
consistent and supportive approach. This is a proud moment for
Cardiff and a positive step for children and young people across
the country.
Cabinet Secretary for Education, said:
All learners, teachers and school staff have the right to a
respectful and safe environment. National guidance is already
clear that schools in Wales are able to screen any pupil
suspected of carrying a weapon.
This further all Wales ‘Weapons in Schools and Educational
Settings' resources will provide more clarity for schools,
learners and families to ensure that schools are a safe place.
One of the five immediate actions from the National Behaviour
Summit was to ensure we were sharing best practices between
schools both locally and nationally. The rollout of an all-Wales
protocol builds on the good work already done by Cardiff, which
has been widely welcomed by headteachers, school communities and
families to give a consistent approach across Wales. This work
will be supported by up £300,000 in funding over the next 12
months, with a view to making the resources fully available
across Wales in 2027.
The new resources will help schools to work closely with families
and other services so that the right support can be put in place,
whilst ensuring safety for staff and learners.
