Teachers are reported to be buying stab-proof body armour to wear in the classroom.
The Daily Mail reports that 'terrified teachers' are spending hundreds of pounds on protective clothing in an attempt to defend themselves against pupils with knives.
One company told the paper that it had sold more than 100 vests in the past 12 months to customers who claimed to be teachers.
As the Department for Education released figures revealing that children as young as five are now being removed from classrooms for attacking school staff, stab-proof vest supplier VestGuard UK claimed demand was on the increase from those working in education.
Oliver Lincoln, the company's commercial director, said they had previously only ever sold a 'handful' of vests a year to teaching staff.
"Suddenly, in the past 12 months, we've had a significant rise in that number," he told the Mail. "I would estimate we've sold at least 100 vests to teachers in the past 12 months - probably quite a lot more."
Hmmm.