Kids as young as four among thousands of pupils suspended for having weapons in school
KIDS as young as four were among thousands kicked out of school last year for having weapons.
Figures obtained by the Sun on Sunday reveal 7,763 pupils were suspended for taking in items such as knives and BB guns — 541 were expelled.
Fourteen children in reception class — where they start aged four — were suspended for smuggling in the lethal items, Freedom of Information figures for the year to July 2021 showed.
Pencil sharpener blades and aerosol cans with lighters as flamethrowers were also used as weapons.
In Tower Hamlets, East London, there were cases of children using knives, scissors, screwdrivers, furniture and even a BB gun.
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Rotherham council, South Yorks, said one pupil threatened a teacher with a knife and another student went on a wrecking spree with a baseball bat.
In Redcar and Cleveland a student was suspended for having a penknife.
Christopher McGovern, of the Campaign for Real Education, said: “The extent of violence in and around some schools is shocking.”
An Education Department spokesman said: “Exclusions are a necessary way of managing behaviour.”
