COMBATING bullying is top of the curriculum at a Teesside school.

More than 300 first year pupils at Guisborough's Laurence Jackson School are to work with staff from the Tees and North East Yorkshire NHS Trust's Langbaurgh child and adolescent mental health services team, during a week focusing on bullying.

Headteacher Robert Campbell said: "The pupils will benefit from the input during the personal development lessons. By working together, we can all prevent bullying."

Two community psychiatric nurses and two primary mental health workers will run a series of 45-minute workshops throughout the week, focusing on bullying and the impact it has on mental health.

Yvonne Harrison, a primary mental health worker, said: "Bullying can have a tremendous effect on the mental well-being of the child, or adult, being bullied. Mental health problems affect one in five children, and one in four adults at some time in their lives, but with help, the vast majority of people manage to overcome their mental illness.

"Hopefully by working with local youngsters they will realise just how common mental health problems are and that, as with bullying, they don't have to suffer in silence."

Pupils entered a poster competition to mark last year's World Mental Health Day and the winner and seven other finalists from the school will be presented with prizes.

The winning poster was designed by Robyn Skelton and called Don't let it be you - speak out against bullying.

It is on display in waiting rooms in child and adolescent mental health service (CAMHS) bases and will be displayed in Middlesbrough, Redcar and Cleveland secondary schools.