■  Stonewall's The School Report published today is a damning report on homophobic bullying in UK schools.

LONDON, June 26, 2007  –  A major survey of Britain’s secondary schools has revealed that almost two thirds of lesbian and gay pupils (156,000 children) have been victims of homophobic bullying.

The School Report, the largest poll of young gay people ever conducted in this country, presents a shocking picture of the extent of homophobic bullying undertaken by fellow pupils and, alarmingly, school staff.

Key findings  by authors Ruth Hunt and Johan Jensen are:

■ Sixty five per cent of lesbian and gay pupils have experienced homophobic bullying

■ Of those, 92 per cent (143,000) have experienced verbal homophobic bullying, 41 per cent (64,000) physical bullying and 17 per cent (26,000) death threats

■ 97 per cent of gay pupils hear derogatory phrases such as ‘dyke’, ‘queer’ and ‘rug-muncher’ used in school

■ Half of teachers fail to respond to homophobic language when they hear it

■ Thirty per cent of lesbian and gay pupils say that adults - teachers or support staff - are responsible for homophobic incidents in their school

■ Less than a quarter of schools have told pupils that homophobic bullying is wrong

The survey of 1,145 young people, conducted by the Schools Health Education Unit for Stonewall, also highlights the consequences of bullying for gay pupils.  The survey was backed by Sir Ian McKellen, IBM and the Paul Hamlyn Foundation.

Seven out of ten of those who have experienced it say it has adversely affected their school work. Half of those bullied say they have missed school as a result.

“These deeply disturbing figures should serve as a wake-up call to everyone working in education,” Ben Summerskill, Stonewall chief executive, said last night.

“This is a damning legacy of Section 28, which deterred schools from tackling anti-gay bullying for so long.  This remains one of the few sorts of bullying about which too many schools still take no action.

“It blights the lives not just of gay children but of thousands of pupils perceived to be lesbian or gay, too.”

The report does, however, demonstrate significant benefits when schools intervene.

In schools that have said homophobic bullying is wrong, gay young people are 60 per cent more likely not to have been bullied.

One pupil, Josh, a 15-years-old from a ‘beacon’ school in the South West, does illustrate what can be done.

“Our school has a strong has a strong anti-discrimination policy for all minorities. All students are aware of this therefore little serious bulling occurs,” the report quotes him as saying.

The report finds that the incidence of anti-gay bullying remains higher in ‘faith schools’.

Of the 1,145 pupils surveyed, 48% were girls and 12% attend private schools.

A spokesperson at the Department for Education spokesman told the BBC tonight that all forms of bullying were unacceptable.

“We are pleased that Stonewall have highlighted this important issue and we look forward to continuing to work with them in the future,” the BBC was told.

“It is important that pupils tell someone when they are being bullied and that teachers take firm action.

“That is why we have given new powers to teachers to ensure they can do so. No pupil should suffer the torment of bullying.”

The School Report will be analysed in detail Stonewall’s second Education for All conference in central London on July 5 when the Education Secretary (currently Alan Johnson) will be a keynote speaker.  Other speakers at the conference include the Children’s Commissioner and ChildLine founder Esther Rantzen CBE.

Click HERE to read read the report (PDF format)

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