children take knives into classroom

children take knives in classrooms   Schoolchildren as young as seven are taking knives and other weapons into the classroom, research out today reveals. The Centre of Social Justice claims a climate of fear is gripping pupils at some of Britain's poorest schools and warns there is a 'profound failure' in some institutions to deal with disruptive behaviour.
In its report No Excuses: A Review Of Educational Exclusion, it also found nine-year-olds in one school turned up regularly wearing local street gang colours.
The Centre for Social Justice report also found nine-year-olds in one school turned up regularly wearing local street gang colours. (Posed by models)
The Centre for Social Justice report also found nine-year-olds in one school turned up regularly wearing local street gang colours. (Posed by models)
It states: 'The extent to which pupils in some of our schools are feeling unsafe and the impact that weapon-carrying street gang activity and conflict is having on their behaviour is staggering.
'During evidence to the CSJ, the head of a primary referral unit cited a number of examples of 7-11-year-olds being sent to the pupil referral unit for having brought knives into their primary school.
'Often the children said that they had brought the knives in because they were being bullied in school, to scare someone, or because they were being bullied by older children or, in one example, by someone's father, on their way home from school.
'One witness to our review informed us that some pupils who truant may be doing so because they are getting robbed or bullied on the way home from school.'
The think-tank calls on the Government to embark on 'radical reform on exclusion' as part of its drive to transform failing schools.
It comes after a speech by David Cameron yesterday where he vowed to crackdown on bad behaviour and bring 'rigour' back into the classroom.
He said: 'We need parents to have a real stake in the discipline of their children, to face real consequences if their children continually misbehave.
'That's why I have asked our social policy review to look into whether we should cut the benefits of those parents whose children constantly play truant.
'Yes, this would be a tough measure - but we urgently need to restore order and respect in the classroom and I don't want ideas like this to be off the table.
The CSJ's report, which involved expert education advisers, found some schools try to hide their gang problems because of fear of damage to their reputation.
Other findings include warnings about the use of permanent exclusions by schools that struggle to cope with disruptive behaviour, claiming in 2009/10 there were around 5,700 permanent exclusions and 330,000 suspensions out of a pupil population of 8 million.
It recommends heads and teachers should receive special training in conflict resolution and police officers should be trained to work in schools with problem pupils.
CSJ executive director Gavin Poole said: 'This report reinforces the need for early intervention. It is tragic that 320 young children were excluded below the age of 8 between 2009-2010.'
The report will be launched at Pimlico Academy in London, which it cites as an example of excellence in tackling disruptive behaviour, on Monday at an event with Schools Minister Nick Gibb.