MORE than 300 teachers and pupils are attending a conference to tackle bullying in Oxfordshire's schools and youth clubs.

The Bullying... What's New? conference, has been organised by Oxfordshire County Council to coincide with National Anti-Bullying Week.

It aims to identify the different types of bullying that affect children in local schools and youth organisations, and to develop ways of dealing with them.

Conference organiser Tony Eaude said: "I don't think it's because of a growing problem with bullying, but a growing awareness that it needs to be dealt with.

"Bullying has gone on in schools for a long time, but very often it hasn't been taken seriously enough.

"This is an attempt to help schools do that within their settings."

Mr Eaude, former head of SS Mary and John Primary School, in East Oxford, added: "We've very deliberately involved young people of different ages and some have been involved because they have been bullied - we want to get their takes on the issue."

Amir Ahmed, of Rivermead Road, Rose Hill, is one of the young people involved in organising the conference.

Amir, 14, set up the Children's Right for Justice campaign in February after deciding he was not going to suffer bullying in silence.

He was bullied for a year while at Peers School, in Littlemore, and wanted to help other victims.

The 14-year-old claimed fellow pupils had thrown books, pencils and rulers at him.

He was even threatened with a knuckleduster.

Amir said: "I think this conference is really important - it's about time this issue is addressed.

"I'm going to be there to give people a taster of what's actually happening in schools, in terms of what it's like to be bullied.

"I'm going to be talking about my personal experiences and talking to other people who have been bullied."

The event is taking place at the Kassam Stadium, Grenoble Road, Oxford, today.

  • National Anti-Bullying Week is organised by the Anti-Bullying Alliance.

For more information, advice and support, go to www.anti-bullyingalliance.org.uk