Bullying can make or break a school career for some children. In more extreme cases it can lead to the bullied youngsters taking their own lives because they can see no way out of the torment and misery they are forced to endure.

Unfortunately it is difficult to know the full extent of bullying because so many victims suffer in silence. Yet even that part of the iceberg which is above the surface is large enough to make it clear that this is a huge problem. The more it is discussed, the easier it surely will be for more people to come forward and seek help.

The new project being piloted by Airedale's community health team in partnership with the Holy Family Roman Catholic School in Keighley hopefully will help to bring bullying out into the open. The aim, according to the community health worker behind the project, is to give vulnerable children the skills and knowledge to deal with the problem and to help staff, parents and pupils take swift action to stamp it out.

This second part of the formula is very important. If bullied children are to find the courage to blow the whistle on their tormentors, they have to feel confident that they will not be let down by the school authorities only to find that the bullying increases as a result.

It is vital that schools have a foolproof policy in place so that all children, and particularly potential bullies, know that bullying will be exposed and dealt with firmly and promptly.