BULLYING - and how to deal with it - is the focus of a new campaign running across York schools from today.

The month-long campaign aims to focus on giving practical advice to those suffering at the hands of bullies and on giving children someone to turn to.

It is being run by the NSPCC Full Stop campaign and City of York Council's education and leisure department.

Anti-bullying leaflets and posters are being produced for all schools, and leaflets giving advice to parents will go to every pupil's home in the city. A theatre project will tour around secondary schools highlighting the problems around bullying, and Asda will be sponsoring a series of anti-bullying bus advertisements. All secondary schools in York are taking part in a major survey of bullying.

John Stead, the NSPCC's northern division education adviser, said: "The NSPCC's Child Maltreatment In The United Kingdom published in 2000, published evidence that one-third of all young people had experienced bullying in school and that, of those, one-fifth said that the bullying had taken place regularly over several years. One-quarter of those bullied stated that it had a long-term effect."

The survey of York schools has seen pupils being asked about bullying in their schools, where it happened, and how often. Each school will get an analysis of the results with recommendations for further action.

Some of the measures schools can take to tackle bullying will be highlighted in a conference on Tuesday, which will be addressed by Professor Peter Smith, a key academic and government adviser.

Mr Stead said: "The conference will share with those working in schools in York "good practice" that they can take back and develop for themselves, not least with the message that there are "peer support" strategies that involve the pupils themselves in addressing the problems.

"Most bullying takes place in schools, but there is growing evidence of the positive effect schools can have on challenging bullying."

Murray Rose, the council's assistant director for education and leisure, said: "Schools in York take bullying very seriously and bullying will be challenged wherever it happens. We hope this initiative will give young people the confidence to turn to someone when they have a problem with bullying and ask for help."

Updated: 15:43 Friday, February 01, 2002