Hammers, knives and ball-bearing guns are among the potentially deadly weapons seized from pupils in Fife over the last three years, an exclusive Courier probe has discovered.
Figures obtained using freedom of information legislation show primary school children are among those to have been excluded after being caught with an alarming array of dangerous implements.
Police have been involved on several occasions, and some pupils have either been charged or reported to the children’s panel.
Statistics obtained by The Courier reveal that blades have been discovered 15 times during the past three academic years.
Included in the haul of items confiscated were penknives, craft knives, kitchen knives, a cutlery knife and a sgian dubh.
Meanwhile, pupils at both Buckhaven High and Glenrothes High were excluded after they were found to be wielding “BB” guns at school, and a pupil at St Andrew’s High was “interviewed” by the head teacher after he was found to be in possession of a hammer.
Some of the more serious incidents required police intervention and officers were twice called to Glenwood High in Glenrothes after pupils were caught with knives.
A pupil at Strathkinness Primary was excluded after he was found with a cutlery knife.
Former head teacher Lindsay Roy, now MP for Glenrothes and Central Fife, said last night, “One incident is too many.”Zero tolerance”A zero tolerance approach has to be taken where weapons in schools are concerned,” he told The Courier. “There must be a high profile message to both pupils and parents that offensive weapons must not be taken to school.
“One incident is one too many and sanctions against offenders must be tough.”
Mr Roy said the consequences of taking weapons to school could be devastating even if no harm is actually planned.
“It is utterly irresponsible to bring any weapon in to a school environment,” he warned. “Even if no harm is intended, accidents can always happen especially where things like knives are involved.”
Councillor Douglas Chapman is the convener of Fife Council’s education and children’s services committee.
While reassured that the total numbers are not high, he said efforts were being made in a bid to minimise the potential for harm to pupils throughout Fife.
“These numbers are not huge,” he said. “However, each case is treated very seriously and that is evident from the very direct sanctions taken by the head teacher in each case and through the involvement of the parents of the perpetrator.
“Most parents want to know that when their child or young person leaves the house in the morning, they will come back safe and without having been subjected to threats or bullying during the school day,” Mr Chapman added.
“For the vast, vast majority of children attending Fife schools that is the case day in, day out.
“While schools cannot be expected to anticipate a child bringing a implement to school on any one specific day, Fife schools have worked very hard at introducing strategies to protect children when these isolated incidents occur-and to prevent such behaviour in the first place.”
Bryan Kirkcaldy, head of education (north) with Fife Council, said all incidents were taken “very seriously” however, he was also at pains to point out that the use of weapons in schools is far from an everyday occurrence.
“The presence of a weapon in a Fife school is a rare event,” Mr Kirkcaldy said. “However, our schools take any incident of this nature very seriously.”