HEARING that your child has been bullied at school, is every parent's fear, but thanks to the high profile of the problem in recent years, education bosses now insist schools take preventative steps.

According to the Department for Education and Skills (DFES), a third of all girls and a quarter of all boys at some time are afraid of going to school because of bullying.

Headteachers have a legal duty to draw up procedures to prevent bullying among pupils and to bring these procedures to the attention of staff, parents and pupils.

Effective anti-bullying strategies should form part of a school's discipline and behaviour policy. Procedures for staff, parents and pupils to follow if bullying occurs should be clear and well publicised throughout the school and all staff are advised to be aware of it at all times.

Bullying can be defined as deliberately hurtful behaviour, repeated over a period of time, where it is difficult for those being bullied to defend themselves.

The three main types of bullying are physical, such as hitting, kicking and theft; verbal, such as name calling or racist remarks, and indirect bullying such as spreading rumours or leaving someone out.

Bullying Online, a registered charity devoted to advice and information on bullying, suggests parents should treat the subject sensitively, and avoid going into the school, guns blazing.

Parents should arrange to see the class teacher to explain their worries and discuss how to tackle the problem. A tip from the charity is to invite your child's friends round to widen their social circle.

If the problems persist, try keeping a diary of the incidents, and, then, contact the school again.

Parents needing advice can contact the DFEE schools inclusion division on 0870 000 2288.