HEAD teachers from schools in York and in North and East Yorkshire have been urged to adopt a national charter aimed at tackling bullying.

The Charter For Action, issued by the Department for Education and Skill (DfES), presents a clear policy on bullying and how the problem should be tackled. It is intended to be displayed in schools across the country.

The charter, to be signed by the schools' head teacher, chairman of governors and a representative from pupils, was presented to schools at a conference which took place in the city on Monday. One of the speakers at the conference was television campaigner Esther Rantzen, chairwoman of the charity Childline.

The head of Canon Lee School in York, Kevin Deadman, who also took part in the conference, said the charter was a good idea as it would help schools to become more proactive rather than reactive.

Canon Lee had tackled bullying using a peer support scheme, where students were encouraged to speak to other pupils about their worries.

He said: "If we can be proactive about bullying, there is a chance it will be reduced, although we are never going to remove it completely."

The head teacher of Westfield School, Mark Barnett, who also took part in conference, agreed the charter was a good idea.

He said: "The DfES is highlighting something to do with children's behaviour that is totally unacceptable.

"This is an acknowledgment of a bullying policy which is in simple language and can be seen around school and can be understood by parents and children."

The charter was drawn up by a range of professionals and voluntary organisations, including the Secondary Heads' Association, the National Association of Head Teachers and the Anti-Bullying Alliance.

Speaking at the conference, Education Minister Ivan Lewis said: "There is much good work already in hand to tackle bullying in schools, but together we can and must do more.

"Our campaign and Charter For Action will support schools in making a powerful statement against bullying, and turn words into action to ensure that bullying is simply never tolerated.

"Every school has a responsibility to have an active anti-bullying policy; every adult in that school has a responsibility to tackle bullying; every parent has a responsibility to support their child and their school; and every child has a right to reach their full potential in a safe and positive environment."

Updated: 08:49 Wednesday, May 12, 2004