Pupils in council bullying debate

Pupils from eight schools in Surrey are taking part in a council chamber debate on ways to beat bullying.

More than 30 children from Haslemere are attending Surrey County Council's anti-bullying debate in Kingston.

The discussion is being held as part of a Haslemere Team (Together Everyone Achieves More) Super Schools Council programme of events.

The opinions of the children, aged from six to 18, will be fed into their schools' new anti-bullying policy.

Parents of the children and a governor from each school are also taking part in the session.

Fears and worries

Pupils from each school will give a presentation on the forms bullying takes, the effects of bullying, and their greatest fears and worrying about bullying.

Youngsters will also discuss how they would resolve a case of bullying with school staff before they decide on six points they want to be included in the anti-bullying policy for the confederation of eight schools.

Executive member for schools, children and youth services, Peter Martin, said: "In an age where most young people have access to mobile phones and the internet, bullying is taking on new forms and becoming increasingly difficult to monitor or control.

"That makes it absolutely vital that children are left in no doubt that bullying, at school or outside school, is always wrong."