Sixty-one per cent of school staff have seen bullying related to racism, according to a new survey.

A poll by the Diana Award, for Anti-Bullying Week, which starts on Monday, also found over half of young people have experienced bullying at school.

The charity surveyed 1,593 young people and 273 teachers and support staff in schools across the UK.

It found that 63 per cent of young people have experienced bullying at school.

Sixty-one per cent of school staff reported that they had seen bullying related to racism, 44 per cent to poverty and 43 per cent to sexism.

The survey found that 68 per cent of bullying occurs in the playground and 26 per cent online.

On Monday, over 600 young anti-bullying ambassadors aged 5-18 from across the UK will participate in an event at Alexandra Palace in London “designed to inspire young people to creatively explore bullying issues through drama, singing, photography, rap, graffiti art [and] public speaking”.

Tessy Ojo, chief executive of the Diana Award, said: “At the Diana Award, we understand the vital role young people, professionals and parents play in shaping attitudes and changing behaviours.

“Support networks - particularly peer-based - are vital when coping with bullying and we want to ensure that young people are part of this.”

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