Almost half of all youngsters bullied every day at school

More than two thirds, or 70 per cent, of young people said they have considered changing the way they look because they were being teased, while about a quarter, or 24, per cent, said they had felt suicidal because of being bullied.

The latest figures, revealed in a survey by the Diana Award charity, show 45 per cent of young people are bullied at school every day.

The data has emerged as 10 million children return to school this week following the summer holidays.

Experts branded the findings "deeply worrying" and said many schools are "failing" their pupils by not doing enough to stamp out the problem.

Ann Hartley, Shropshire Council's cabinet member for children's services, said: "Shropshire Council's education improvement service works closely with school leaders to support and challenge them to minimise all forms of bullying.

"Headteachers and their staff work proactively in their schools to promote a culture and ethos where pupils feel safe and secure, and where they develop appreciation and respect for others.

"The national figures identifying the incidence of bullying by the Diana Award anti-bullying campaign are a cause for concern and there is no room for complacency even in areas where the incidence of bullying is lower.

"Combating bullying in school is the responsibility of all members of a school's community and it is essential if pupils are to develop into confident and responsible citizens who make a positive contribution to society."

Alex Holmes, head of the Diana Award anti-bullying campaign, said: "It is incredibly worrying for parents - when you send your child into schools you think it will be a safe and happy place.

"Young people spend 11,000 hours in full-time education, to think they can be abused is awful.

"It is incredibly worrying young people have thought about suicide because of bullying. Most of those young people said they have been bullied every day, and that constant abuse had got to them.

"Our research shows that schools are failing to keep young people safe and happy, and that is unacceptable. For a child to feel suicidal because of the treatment they have had at school is totally unacceptable."

The charity, which was set up in legacy to the late Princess of Wales and works in thousands of schools tackling bullying, questioned 1,865 young people aged between nine and 17-years-old.

Mr Holmes warned that bullying in the classroom is spilling out on to social media, with children being subjected to abuse on sites such as Facebook and Twitter.

Tormented in the classroom and at home on the internet, teenagers are changing the way they look by cutting their hair, trying to lose weight and applying make-up in a desperate bid to fit in with their peers, the research found.

More than half of those polled reported feeling depressed because of bullying.

And the legacy of being teased can stay with the victims their entire lives, damaging their self-esteem, relationships and job prospects in later life, the research found.

Of the 578 adults polled, half said they are still affected by the bullying they suffered in their youth.