SCHOOLS are giving a good response to an accreditation scheme launched by County Durham's pioneering anti-bullying service.

The scheme, which has the backing of ChildLine - the free 24-hour helpline for children and young people - will enable schools to offer tangible evidence of their determination to tackle the problem.

Service coordinator Val McFarlane said that so far all the secondary schools, about ten primary schools and three of the special schools were involved.

The first schools to apply were Moorside Comprehensive, Consett, Ebchester Primary, near Consett, and The Meadows Special School, Spennymoor.

Mrs McFarlane said: "We are very pleased with the response so far, especially from the secondary schools, and we'd love to get a 100 per cent take-up. That would be fantastic.

"I think it is something that parents will start to consider when they are looking at schools for the children, just as they look at exam results.''

Under the accreditation scheme, schools will have to show they take bullying seriously and have effective policies and practices to deal with it.

The criteria for accreditation includes having an anti-bullying group, annually reviewing anti-bullying policies and setting up a peer support scheme.

The County Durham anti-bullying scheme is attracting interest from education authorities in the North-East and further afield who are thinking of setting up similar projects.

"We are getting interest from right across the world, including South Africa, Australia and the USA. We have been helping other authorities here who are looking at schemes," said Mrs McFarlane. "In Durham, we are doing more about bullying than anywhere else.

"We are trying to make sure the mechanisms for tackling bullying are in place, such as peer support and staff training and awareness."