BULLYING is an issue very much in the public eye but it is how schools address the problem that can have a profound effect on the victim's suffering.

National figures released this month revealed the total number of bullying claims for 2003 was less than a quarter on 2002, indicating schools may be moving in the right direction in tackling it.

But the problem is still evident, with victims often facing verbal taunts or physical abuse on a daily basis.

And David Hart, general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers, said schools were playing a dangerous game if they failed to take the issue seriously.

"If bullying takes place and the school takes no adequate action then they are extremely vulnerable," he said

"The LEA could face substantial damages and their reputation will be badly affected."

Last September, the Government announced that teachers in every secondary school would be given advice on how to tackle bullying.

The guidelines demanded closer consultation between local authorities and schools and urged pupils to be more open about bullying, with teachers receiving specialist training.

Ofsted now issues inspectors with handbooks to check if an anti-bullying policy is being implemented effectively.

Geoff King, Worcestershire County Council's access and inclusion manager for the services to school's division, said bullying was a problem when schools denied it existed.

Mr King manages all learning behaviour support and educational psychology in the county's schools, which includes addressing bullying.

The council sent out information to every school in the county, detailing what bullying is and how to address it, about 18 months ago.

Mr King said research showed schools raising awareness of the issue through areas such as art, dance and drama could reduce bullying by up to 50 per cent.

"If any school says they don't have a bullying problem then that's possibly something we need to be concerned about," he said.

"Those that have the least are the ones that are doing something to address it."

Alun Williams, headteacher of Nunnery Wood High School, on Worcester's Spetchley Road, said schools had a responsibility to maintain that bullying was unacceptable and to ensure victims were not afraid to report such incidents.

The school, which has 1,350 pupils, adopts a zero tolerance stance and set up a peer-mentoring scheme last Christmas to tackle the problem.

About a dozen 15-to-16-year olds received a day's training in listening and mediation and are available for regular sessions to discuss a range of problems with pupils.

Youngsters are also taught how to stand up to bullies as part of their personal, social and health education lessons.

"Any school that says they don't have bullying is not being truthful," he said.

"I think what's important is how it's being dealt with and how youngsters are encouraged to report it.

"We're keen to create a climate in the school where bullying is seen as unacceptable by everyone and so students have confidence there are ways in which they can get help."

Mr King said bullies could be dealt with punitively but that this could be seen as demonstrating to them what they could do to others.

He said the therapeutic "shared concern" tended to be more effective long-term solution, where teachers spoke to bullies about the effect of their behaviour, for instance.

Malvern's Dyson Perrins CE High School, on Yates Hay Road, adopts a non-punitive method of dealing with bullies in the first instance in the hope of changing their behaviour.

Headteacher Peter Buchanan said the bully would be asked how they would feel if someone behaved in a similar way to them.

"The aim is to make the victim feel safe and make it all go away and then encourage better behaviour from the person doing the bullying.

"Nine times out of 10 that will work as a starting point."

Year councillors and the school council drafted up a poster to appear in each of its classrooms highlighting its policy.

The posters state: "We the school do not bully, we watch out for bullying and we tell someone about bullying."

"Potentially, bullying is an issue as soon as you get one pupil being bullied it's a major issue for that one pupil," said Mr Buchanan.

"It's not about whether a lot of it is going on, it's about whether even just one pupil is not happy coming to school or not able to concentrate on their education then that is serious."

The council's behaviour support, educational welfare, educational psychology and parent partnership services can offer support to victims and can be contacted through the county's schools.

The DfES also has a website: www.dfes.gov.uk/bullying giving ideas, practical techniques and experiences from those who have been bullied.