Quarter of children bullied by adults

A survey of just under 7,000 youngsters aged between 10 and 15 showed 23 per cent said they had been picked on or treated unfairly by adults at home or in the community over the last year.

The two-year study, carried out by the Children's Society, York University and Ipsos Mori, asked 6,744 children in Year 6, the last year of primary school, and secondary school Years 8 and 10 to answer around 100 questions.

The findings revealed the most bullied group were Black African and Caribbean children, with 29 per cent saying they had suffered at the hands of grown-ups, compared with 18 per cent of white children. Disabled young people also felt more unfairly treated, with 38 per cent saying they had been bullied.

Similarly, 35 per cent of children with learning difficulties said an adult or adults had picked on them, while only 17 per cent of other young people felt they had experienced the same treatment.

Of those surveyed, young people of Indian origin were the least likely to feel unfairly treated with only 14 per cent saying so, compared with 26 per cent of Pakistani, Bangladeshi children, 25 per cent of youngsters of mixed origin and 28 per cent of other ethnic origin.