Firstly, a reiteration of how truly horrible Monday’s attack was, and how words cannot adequately express the pain and suffering being felt by those involved, those bereaved, those for whom life will never be the same. It is heart-breaking.

However, even if ‘there are no words’, words can help and I feel moved to add some of my own if only to try and add to the solidarity and strength of community support that I know many people in Southport have exhibited. And to add weight to these feelings in the light of opposite sentiments – those of violence and rage.

It feels so close to home. My Dad, who died earlier this year, lived his last few years at a care home in Banks, just down the road from the assailant. For the last three years, I was driving into the village on a weekly basis. Then, over the past year, I have become involved with schools in the Southport area, getting to know their headteachers well. Such school communities are now very much caught up in the aftermath. Many people I know well and work with have been involved directly with the terrible events of Monday.  

As a headteacher, such an event makes me feel nauseous. Working with young children every day, in particular leading the school every day, means being in charge of their safety. It is a weighty responsibility and whenever anything like this happens, there is an initial crushing sense of failure of protection. Could we have done more? It is only afterwards, when being able to look at things rationally, that we can see that some things, such extraordinarily violent random acts, are impossible to stop. Nevertheless, all week I have had a heightened awareness of children playing on the beach with their parents (I’m with my in-laws in Spain) and I can’t get this attack off my mind. How could anyone inflict violence on such small, precious human beings?

Then there is the aftermath, and how we respond as leaders to the anger and violence we see on the streets. Irrespective of how many of the people are travelling to each location intent on causing mayhem, my perception over recent years is that such anger is increasing in our communities, and showing no sign of abatement. Again, reacting as a headteacher, my mind immediately goes into response mode. What can I do to calm situations, reduce aggression and build bridges?

So what is there to do? Well, first a period of peace and quiet, a time to respect the grief of those involved. We need to walk alongside them on their journey to recovery. In short, we need to stand in solidarity with all those affected.

After that? I feel the answer lies in greater civic involvement, more places for community gatherings, more seats at the table. This might not be popular with some, but I would extend this to those throwing rocks and objects at the police. We cannot begin to create more pleasant communities for future generations without at least reaching out and asking them why they feel like they do. School leadership often provides you with little option. Over the course of my career, I have talked with parents who have very forthright views that might shock others, parents who have been in jail for awful crimes, parents who make big mistakes. I don’t shy away from expressing a contradictory view, but my view is that we cannot, and do not, ignore them. How this can be built systemically into a democratic arena is a good question to discuss together.  We need to understand each other better.

An optimistic note can be found when observing what happened on Wednesday morning. A community coming together to repair walls, sweep the streets and patch up the roads. A majority of people do want to come together for the common good, but they need leading. I think of my amazing friends at the Liverpool charity ‘An Hour For Others’. The name says it all and I applaud them for their leadership.

So thank you Southport for leading the way, followed yesterday by Liverpool with its peaceful defence of the mosque on West Derby Road.

If any good is to come from this appalling tragedy, then more front-line, civic leadership is needed to strengthen the warp and weft of our community networks. They can be helped by a mainstream media that spotlights the many amazing community initiatives that seek to unite rather than divide. The social media companies could do likewise, as well as clamping down on those hell-bent on sowing rancour and hatred.

But first, let us provide peace and solace for those affected, and pray for their families, for the doctors and nurses caring for the wounded, and for the police and authorities doing their very best to keep our streets safe.