Searching for and confiscating knives will not help. There is always something to hurt or kill with: compass points, the long tails on steel styling combs, boots, bottles, cord or scarves....

The problem is not the knives; it's the people. When I was a boy we all carried knives for sharpening pencils and whittling. In the Scouts, a clasp or sheath knife was an essential. Noone got stabbed, ever. My own grandchildren (11 and 9) responsibly own and use craft and pocket knives, but (alas) may not carry them into school.

If we socialise and discipline our children, knives will be no problem. If we do not, banning knives will not solve the problem we have created.

Michael Bruce, Selby, Yorkshire

Once again our teachers are involved in time and cost consuming activities that detract from their primary role. Difficult to say how society can easily correct the tendency towards violence that have precipitated these measures. With some schools' budgets allowing just £150 to equip a class with its educational resources for a year the financial imposition of security arches and personnel along with the teachers time to conduct security checks are a further drain on existing budgets.

Something has to give. The realignment of time energy and costs to this programme will improve our children's security but we have to accept the resultant time and resources impact on the teaching capacity.

The need for increased security is undeniable, so we need to concentrate on options to support the teaching process. As learning is significantly enhanced through practice perhaps we need to provide increased practical support at home to support the teaching load.

Alistair Owens, Doncaster, UK

What a shame! When I was a pupil/student(sorry Alex) every small boy carried a small penknife. It was used to sharpen pencils and play mumbledy peg in the shoolyard. It simply never occurred to any one to use a knife to harm anyone.

Nowadays in the States a child can be suspended for simply having a picture of a knife.

I gave my daughter a small Victorinox(?) knife with a 1-1/2 inch blade and scissors to match to carry for minor repairs. She is now a schoolteacher and cannot carry it to work.

The innocent are being stripped, the evildoers will always be armed.

henry cowan, linthicum, maryland/USA

You don't need a knife! Just pick up something in the D&T lab - much more effective when what you really want to do is intimidate and not kill.

Mikalina Adams, Liuzhou, China

Schools are like prisons. You can do as many things as you'd like to cut down on violence but human imagination is a wonderful thing and you'll always have that "one violent crime" over and over. Screwdriver shivs anyone?

Thats assuming it will work, which it won't. This is feel good gestures. A few hundred kids going down a hallway with various metal objects like pencil cases, etc? Airport queues and having the kids 'patted down' by minimum wage rent a cops?

SoiCowboy, London,

The human rights judges will soon cancel this!

Doug, Glasgow,

Please do not call PUPILS "students"!!! It is an American expression which irritates higher education students. It is a misdescription. A paper like yours should know the difference!!

Yes, if it will help to prevent crimes, then for a short while PUPILS should be searched!

Alex Lawrence, Marlow, Bucks

A question of human rights and freedoms Students cannot be searched without parent concent,even if this means the death of fellow students or teachers.What about their rights you can ask? They have lost these the moment they died.

james hazan, huddersfield, uk

How on earth did we ever get to this?

John Tomlinson, Brentwood, UK

it is very sad that we have to resort to these measures, but if it saves just one young life it has to be worth it. my on ly concern is that these security gaurds will not be properly vetted & we will end up with perverts getting off on searching our children, ok lets do it but all i ask is that THIS govenment does it right without cutting corners AGAIN.

BARRY JACKSON, STEVENAGE, HERTFORDSHIRE

I'd have loved that when I was a kid.

"It also says that pupils can be refused entry to a school if they refuse to be screened."

Free days off!!!

Arthur, Newcastle,

I agree totally with Brian Charles Seals.

After all, why would anyone need to take a knife into school unless with bad intent?

edwardingle , chesham,

It is a criminal offence to carry a knife in public without due reason. Why should schoolchildren be exempt? First offence should be a caution, repeat offence should be expulsion from the school and a custody sentence. It will marginalise a handful of young people but the other 99% would be able to study, play and learn social skills at school without fear.

alan holloway, Benalmadena, Spain

None too soon.

Brian Charles Seals, Scarborough, Nth Yorks, England

Well, when I was growing up, practically all of the boys and many of the girls carried knives to school every day. Many of the boys were in the Boy Scouts and many of the girls were in the Girls Scouts. While there were some instances of altercations, there were NEVER any that involved knives. This is a matter of discipline, responsibility, and intelligence, not of the existence of inanimate objects in the environment. Hell, I can kill you in an instant with my bare hands or a ball point pen if that is my aim. It's time we spent some time on responsibility and respect for human life rather than focussing on the means by which individuals use to demonstrate the lack thereof. I personally feel more comfortable in my environment knowing that many law-abiding citizens are carrying concealed weapons. The more that do, the safer I feel. I am not afraid of the law-abiding citizen carrying any weapon they can. What I am afraid of is the criminal who will respect no law at all.

Les Brooks, Seattle, WA