Parents in support of school drug searches

The vast majority of parents support random drug and weapon searches in schools, a survey showed today.

So great is parental concern over drugs that the majority would rather expel pupils who deal cannabis than those who carry knives into school.

Headteachers say they understand parents are worried about drugs and weapons but insist they have to be "extremely careful" about subjecting pupils to searches.

Tony Blair said recently that schools could carry out random searches but Department for Education and Skills guidance stresses that heads should seek parental consent before embarking on a programme of drugs swoops.

The FDS International poll of 1,000 parents for The Times Educational Supplement showed most parents would give testing their blessing - only five per cent objected.

Eight out of 10 said children who dealt cannabis to classmates should be expelled, compared with 71 per cent who said the same about pupils with knives.

Poor behaviour, bullying and low funding were the next biggest problems facing state schools, according to the parents surveyed.