Friends of killer student failed to warn teachers he had knife which he used to murder classmate

The investigation - carried out by child protection expert Andrew Lowe - found that the tragedy could not have been "predicted or averted on the day".

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But they claim it could have been prevented if pupils had informed staff at Cults Academy, Aberdeen, the boy, known as Child A, was carrying blades.

And they recommended teachers in all Scots schools be given the powers to frisk any kid suspected of carrying a blade.

At a press conference this morning, Police Scotland admitted FIFTEEN knives had been recovered from schools in Aberdeen since Bailey Gwynne's death.

Chief Superintendent Campbell Thomson said in each case the school had informed officers pupils had flagged up the perpetrator was tooled up with a blade.

And he added each incident was "robustly investigated".

Mr Lowe said it was "difficult" for teachers to get consent to search a pupil under current laws and that consent "wasn't always forthcoming".

He said: "There's a duty of care to the other pupils in the class, there is an expectation that you can keep everybody safe, there's an expectation they can deal with anything and frankly doesn't support that."

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Mr Lowe was asked why it appeared some pupils felt they could not tell teachers the killer had taken weapons into school.

He said: "I don't know whether they didn't feel able or whether they didn't feel it necessary.

"This wasn't a boy who they perceived to be violent or conducting in risky behaviour - he was quite a quiet boy and his motivation for carrying weapons I think was understood by some as just a form of bravado."

The review's conclusions came as pupils and teachers - led by head Anna Muirhead - .

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It said of : "This was an unplanned, spontaneous conflict that emerged rapidly out of unexceptional banter.

"It is not considered that it could have been predicted or averted on the day.

"The course of the conflict was fatally altered by the possession of a bladed weapon by one of the boys.

"This was potentially predictable and avoidable if those who knew Child A carried weapons in school had reported this to staff."

The review added that Child A - who was locked up for nine years after being found guilty of culpable homicide in March - was "not a violent child" but under "significant and continual pressure from his brother".

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The review into the circumstances of Bailey's death got underway earlier this year.

The inquiry - called by Aberdeen City Council, NHS Grampian and Police Scotland involved a six-point plan which included investigating the relationship between Bailey and the boy who killed him, prior to the stabbing.

However, the council controversially only released the review conclusions yesterday/today due to "legal reasons".

Mr Lowe, who is the independent chairman of child protection and the independent chairman of adult protection for Renfrewshire made a number of recommendations in the wake of his probe.

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These included the tightening up of policing of weapons in Scotland's schools, including searches of youngsters, and educating on the dangers of knife crime - an initiative that Aberdeen City Council earlier opted out of.

The report also recommends that the Scottish Government should explore further legislative controls to stop the purchase of weapons online.

It emerged during the trial of Child A that he had bought knives and other weapons using online shopping sites like Amazon in order to avoid the normal age restrictions that apply in shops.

A new bullying policy is to be implemented by Aberdeen City Council in the wake of the .