Education and employment secretary David Blunkett has launched a campaign aimed at tackling bullying in schools calling on headteachers to take the issue more seriously.

Accompanied by a video the campaign pack launched by the government advises on how to deal with various types of bullying including the involvement of the police in some cases.Launching the pack at a conference organised by Family Service Units, Blunkett said: "For those who are bullied and their friends the message is simple - tell someone, don't suffer in silence. It is important that teachers and heads take seriously accusations of bullying from pupils and parents.

"Where there is severe and persistent bullying, particularly involving violence or sexual assault, heads will need to consider more serious disciplinary measures including suspension or permanent exclusion. I have made clear that appeal panels should not override head teachers' decisions in such cases," he said.

Doug McAvoy, the NUT general secretary, welcomed the initiative. "Teachers need time to tackle bullying and end the injustices children can inflict on each other. Yet teachers already have an excessive workload limiting their opportunities to deal with bullying. Initiatives imposed on schools have placed more and more demands on teachers' time. If bullying is to be stamped out, schools, parents and police must be able to work together."

Tory education spokesman Theresa May said Blunkett could go further: "Whilst we welcome any efforts by the Government to tackle a problem that blights the lives of so many children, we do not think David Blunkett has gone far enough. He must accept the Conservatives' Free Schools' policy which gives headteachers the power to exclude disruptive pupils without fear of fines and penalisation in league tables." she said.