Details of a multi-million pound plan to tackle truancy and bad behaviour in schools have been set out by education minister Ivan Lewis.

A total £75 million of funding will be allocated to local education authorities, as part of a continuing government drive to reduce bad behaviour in schools.

In addition, the government has launched an advertising campaign aimed at encouraging children to tell an adult if they suffer from bullying.

Forum Response: Association of Teachers and Lecturers

Dr Mary Bousted, general secretary of the ATL, said: "Evidence shows that bullying can ruin children's lives and destroy their hopes of academic success and achievement in school.

"The problem is not confined to physical bullying, there is evidence that verbal bullying is an important factor in causing young people, particularly girls, to change schools or drop out of schooling in early adolescence.

"Any scheme that helps the professionals in schools to tackle the root causes of bullying and bad behaviour will be to the advantage of pupils and teachers."

Forum Response: Professional Association of Teachers

Alison Johnston, senior professional officer at the Professional Association of Teachers, told ePolitix.com: "We welcome this initiative. Bullying is unacceptable. It can damage children both physically and mentally - and educationally if it puts the victims off going to school.

"Poor pupil behaviour is a major concern for teachers and we know that many teachers have left the profession because of it.

"However, bullying is not a problem that schools can tackle alone. Schools, parents and the wider community need to work in partnership. Schools need the support of parents to deal with the bullies' behaviour.

"We therefore hope that this campaign will both encourage the victims of bullying to seek help and to speak out, and get the message across to bullies and their parents that bullying is unacceptable."

Forum Response: National Union of Teachers

Doug McAvoy, general secretary of the NUT, said: "Unacceptable pupil behaviour is often the difference between teachers staying or leaving the profession and children learning or switching off.

"The £75m funding for local education authorities is a welcome recognition of this fact.

"Prescription on how to use this money would be a mistake.

"The last thing teachers need is extra workload arising from this initiative. Teachers' professional judgement should determine what is effective in ensuring pupil discipline.

"The government must also ask itself how its initiative will fit with the budget crisis facing thousands of schools round the country. The crisis means it will be difficult for schools to release teachers for this training and to take on additional responsibilities.

"Any package on behaviour management must ensure that each education authority makes available to schools a wide range of support including special schools and withdrawal units. If a school can no longer cope with a particular pupil, there must be somewhere for that pupil to go.

"There also needs to be means of encouraging parents to accept responsibility for their children's behaviour. Parents must work with schools but many need help in doing so."