Jacqui Smith told the BBC that she thought it might be appropriate for schools in some areas to use "search arches" to scan pupils as their enter the establishment.
"I want young people to know that it doesn't make them safer to carry a knife," she said. "It actually makes them more likely to be a victim."
Details of the initiative are likely to be contained in a government action plan on tackling violence, which is expected next month.
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