Headteachers will be allowed to use airport-style metal detectors to carry out random screening of pupils for knives and other weapons, Alan Johnson, Education Secretary, has confirmed.
Mr Johnson received legal advice confirming that the law permits school staff to use detectors to screen pupils without needing their consent or having to show grounds to suspect that they are carrying a weapon.
He also highlighted new powers in the Violent Crime Reduction Bill, currently going through Parliament, which will allow headteachers to order a hands-on search of any pupil who sets off the detectors.
