In the last few days there has been much publicity about searching school children for knives. Some suggested this may cause difficulties for Sikh children and this resulted in a number of media enquiries, including from the BBC. The Sikh Federation (UK) immediately contacted the Department for Education and Skills and confirmed that the existing guidelines allowing Sikh children to wear the Kirpan remain unchanged. The existing guidelines on School Security, drawn up by the Department in consultation with the Sikh community, point out the Kirpan is exempt under section 4 of the Offensive Weapons Act 1996 and state: "Sikhs who have been initiated in a ceremony called Amrit Pahul are required to carry a Kirpan at all times. There is no age limit, but the child must be old enough to understand the significance of the ceremony. Children of primary school age have undergone the ceremony". Part of the guidelines also make reference to "Sikhs believe that the Kirpan must be around eight inches long, with a five inch blade", which has provided sufficient flexibility to allow Sikh children to continue to practice their faith. The guidelines also state: "The courts have ruled that Sikhs are a "racial group" for the purposes of the Race Relations Act 1976. A rule which operated to forbid the wearing of a Kirpan, or resulted in, for example, the exclusion of a pupil who insisted on wearing one, might be alleged to constitute unlawful indirect discrimination under section 17 of the Act".