Police have recorded nearly 700 knife crimes in Scotland’s schools over the last five years, figures have shown.
The Scottish Government has been told its efforts to clamp down on youth knife possession were “falling short”.
The Scottish Liberal Democrats, which requested the data from the Government, said the number of knives being seized in schools remained “stubbornly high”.
Officers seized 127 knives in 2025-26, down from the 149 taken the year before and similar to the 129 figure from 2023-24. 139 knives or bladed weapons were seized in 2022/23, while 135 were recovered in 2021/22.
It means that between 2021 and 2026, 679 crimes involving knives or bladed articles were recorded. 155 of these incidents involved the weapon being used in other criminal activity, while the rest did not.
The figures, released by community safety minister Kirsten Oswald following a written parliamentary question, follow the high-profile deaths of two boys.
Last week, two teenagers were cleared of murdering 15-year-old Amen Teklay, who was stabbed in the heart with a sword in Glasgow last year.
And in June, three teens were found guilty of murdering 16-year-old Kayden Moy at Irvine Beach last year.
Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton said the “shocking” figures showed the number of knives being found in schools remained “stubbornly high”.
He added: “This comes fast on the heels of a number of shocking cases of young people being killed by knives.
“No pupil or teacher should have to worry that someone else in class could be armed.
“I am concerned that the SNP’s efforts to tackle youth knife possession are falling short.
“For the best part of 20 years, I was a youth worker, helping some of the most disengaged young people get their lives back on track.
“That experience taught me that no child is inherently bad. Most of the time, they are just in need of some direction.
“That’s where youth work comes in: it provides young people with the direction they need and gives them a positive adult role model who is neither a teacher nor a parent.
“It teaches teenagers to come out of their comfort zone, helps them rebuild their sense of self-worth and fosters a whole host of key life skills.”
Mr Cole-Hamilton said, since the pandemic, the SNP had “presided over the quiet death of youth work”.
“Budgets have been squeezed,” he said, “services have struggled to survive, just when we need them the most.
“Scottish Liberal Democrats would invest in youth work to pre-empt and prevent those acts of violence, to properly engage young people in society and lay the foundations for them to succeed in life.”
While any incident involving a weapon in school is concerning, it’s important to remember cases like these remain rare
Deputy First Minister Jenny Gilruth said the Scottish Government would work together with local government and trade unions to tackle “some of the challenges we’re currently seeing in our schools”.
She also stressed: “Most of our children in Scotland are well behaved in schools, and it is really important not to mischaracterise them.”
But with “more challenging behaviour” from some, she said: “It is really important we have a preventative approach, which is exactly why the SNP’s manifesto committed to the delivery a behaviour support teacher in every school across the country, so we’re looking at how we can roll that out to make sure we have behaviour support teachers in every school.”
The Scottish Government said knife crime in Scottish schools was rare.
A spokesperson said: “There is no place for violence in Scotland’s schools. Our classrooms should be safe and positive learning environments – and the majority are.
“While any incident involving a weapon in school is concerning, it’s important to remember cases like these remain rare.
“We are delivering on the relationships and behaviour in schools action plan, developed with headteachers, teaching unions and local authorities.
“Guidance on consequences was published last year alongside risk assessments for violence, aggressive and dangerous behaviour.
“Backed by more than £8 million investment since 2023, we continue to work with partners to tackle and prevent youth violence and, in particular, knife crime, through targeted activity across communities – including in schools.
“We are also investing record funding of more than £1.7 billion for policing this year.”