The handful of children caught with weapons in Bradford schools could be the "tip of an iceberg", a union leader warned today.

Figures obtained by the Telegraph & Argus using the Freedom of Information Act have shown that three knives, a catapult and stone and a ball-bearing gun were confiscated in 2006/07. All five pupils were excluded from their schools, which Bradford Council has not named.

Teaching union officials believe the incidents indicate there could be a much larger problem as the Government announced airport-style searches might be introduced at some of the country's toughest secondary schools as part of measures to tackle violent behaviour.

There are no present plans to introduce such measures in Bradford.

Pam Milner, Bradford branch secretary for the NASUWT, said: "There are many more pupils in Bradford who have weapons stashed near school or in school.

"They use them as protection and feel safe knowing that they are in their bag or on their person. With five cases you are talking about the tip of the iceberg. Bringing back bag searches and airport scanning is one way of tackling the problem."

Mrs Milner she would like to see detectors installed throughout the district.

She said: "Teachers and pupils need to feel safe in school and why they have not included Bradford in the first wave I don't know."

Margaret Platts, head teacher at Belle Vue Girls' School and convenor of Bradford Secondary School Heads' Association, said: "All head teachers will watch the pilot scheme with some interest. Heads in Bradford will welcome working with the local authority to evaluate the outcomes.

"Any measures that reassure children and staff that they are safe in school should be considered. Measures that reduce the fear of crime are important."

Stuart Herdson, Bradford branch secretary for the Association of Teachers and Lecturers, said it was impossible to know the true number of pupils bringing weapons into Bradford schools.

However, he added that children were "pretty good" at reporting peers if and when necessary. "There may be some who go undetected when they are carrying weapons but most who do will brag about it and will be caught," he added.

A spokesman for the Department for Children, Schools and Families, said: "Schools can also use metal detector arches and wands to screen pupils for knives where the head feels this is helpful and would work as a deterrent."

A Bradford Council spokesman said: "We have no plans at the moment to install metal detectors in schools."

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