Any school which claims not to have any bullying problems is more than likely burying its head in the sand.

Playground name-calling can spiral into misery, making schools days a sheer misery.

Teachers have set up some excellent anti-bullying initiatives over the years but recently, they have been faced with new challenges posed by cyber bullying.

These problems are usually most prevalent during the teenage years but one East Lancashire primary school has been forced to respond to reports of pupils receiving abusive text messages from other children.

The debate over whether a child aged 11 or under actually needs his or her own phone is one for another day, but it is a serious problem.

Full praise should go to the staff at Burnley’s Brunshaw Primary School for their openness in dealing with the potential bullying which happened outside of school.

We support the call from union chiefs who want more training for teachers to help them spot of the signs of cyber-bulling.

Parents must keep a close eye on what their children are sending and receiving because danger can come not only from strangers but sometimes from those we know.