A large number of teachers in Northern Ireland are suffering cyber-bullying from pupils and their parents, it has today emerged.

The Teachers Support Network and the Association of Teachers and Lecturers, who carried out the survey, has said that incidents of bullying have been reported as happening by mobile phone or over the internet.

It is understood that silent phone-calls, upsetting emails, unwelcome text messages and chat rooms, were used as bullying tactics.

The two organisations called on the Department of Education to ensure that anti-bullying policies include such incidents and that they are dealt with accordingly.

Mark Langhammer, ATL's director in Northern Ireland said that cyber-bullying is an insidious and growing problem in our schools and colleges that goes beyond the school gate.

"Our survey shows that for all its benefits, information technology is allowing pupils and parents to bully teachers and lecturers from afar by phone, email and the internet, exposing them to public humiliation, damaging their good reputation and taking away their professional pride and confidence."

Calling for government action the two bodies also asked mobile and internet providers to better protect teachers by providing easily accessible complaints procedures to register concerns.

Fern Turner, Regional Officer at the National Association of Head Teachers, said: "There are teachers whose whole professional reputation is being challenged on these sites.

"What we are told is that the network providers monitor the sites and take off material which they feel is inappropriate.

"While people can say anything and write anything, the victims can't actually address or challenge it."

(EF/SP)