Pupils at a Canterbury primary school will attend a special assembly on the dangers of knives after a nine-year-old threatened to stab another boy in the playground.

A police officer will visit Beauherne on the London Road Estate after the incident, which centred on a dispute about a game on the monkey bars.

Staff confiscated a pen knife found in the boy's pocket and insist he did not have it on him when he made the threat.

Phil Karnavas, the executive head teacher of the Canterbury Campus which includes Beauherne, said: "I must stress that at no point was the well-being or safety of any child compromised - and that is our prime concern.

"The school dealt with the incident promptly and with a high degree of common sense.

"There has been some talk that the boy at the centre of the incident should be excluded, but there are conflicting accounts of what we know happened and what has subsequently been alleged."

The knife was confiscated by Lynn Paylor-Sutton, the head teacher of Beauherne, and locked in a safe.

It was a Swiss Army-syle knife with various functions.

The boy told teachers he had it on him because he had been playing with it the night before and forgot to remove it.

Mr Karnavas added: "The police officer who will speak to the children works with lots of different schools in the area.

"She will talk to everyone concerned and then lead an assembly on the danger of knives."