Sandwell Council vows to continue campaign to rid schools of knives after four children caught carrying blades

The figures came to light in a Freedom of Information request asking how many youngsters have been expelled for possessing weapons between April 2019 and 2020.

One youngster was caught brandishing a knife at school while a second wielded one in a public place.

The remaining two pupils were found to be in possession of weapons.

Council chiefs have not identified the children or schools and emphasised no one was harmed.

A Sandwell Council spokesman said: “These four incidents were taken extremely seriously and the pupils involved excluded from school.

"The incidents fortunately did not involve anyone being injured.

“Knife crime is a national issue which destroys lives and causes heartache for many families.

“Our schools have worked together with local police to agree a protocol on how they can deal with the issues around knives in a clear and consistent way.”

Last year, the government awarded £372,520 to Sandwell from its Supporting Families Against Youth Crime fund.

Council bosses have said its Safer Partnership is tackling knife crime in cooperation with the Police and Crime Commissioner, adding: “Through the partnership, we have invested in early intervention projects and work with schools to increase awareness around exploitation and building young people’s resilience.

“There are a number of ongoing projects working with young people and families to support them and help everyone stay safe.”