Study shows that bullying harms school performance

The study, carried out by the National Centre for Social Research, found that young people who had been bullied at 14 or 15 scored an equivalent of two GCSE grades lower than other young people.

The research found almost half of 14-year-olds say they have been bullied, with 41 per cent of 15-year-olds saying they were bullied, and 29 per cent of 16-year-olds.

Girls were more likely to be bullied than boys in the younger age groups, although boys were more likely to suffer violence or threats. White young people were significantly more likely to report being bullied than those from ethnic minorities.

Researchers found that when parents reported their child's bullying to the school their child was less likely to be bullied in the future.

Children's Secretary Ed Balls said: "I want parents to feel confident in coming forward and reporting bullying incidents to schools as we know this helps to stop bullying continuing."

The most common types of bullying were cyberbullying and name calling. Anti-Bullying Week, which kicks-off on Monday, this year is themed around cyberbullying.