The Government has announced £4.4m funding for 10 innovative schemes to tackle bullying in schools.

One of the schemes is an online app called ‘Tootoot’ that lets children anonymously report bullying to staff at the child’s school using screenshots of social media. An online hub will provide thousands of children, parents and carers with support around the clock, including in school holidays, with advice on tackling bullying and tips on how to block and report abuse on a range of online platforms.

120,000 students across 300 schools will be able to use the programme to report incidents such as bullying, cyberbullying, or homophobic, transphobic and biphobic abuse. The scheme, run by Internet Matters, will also train 4,500 teachers and educate 60,000 parents about how to protect their children from cyberbullying.

Internet Matters believes strongly in working with organisations to give parents and children the tools and advice they need to help tackle bullying in all its forms. We’re delighted to be working with tootoot - an organisation giving students a safe environment to report bullying through its innovative app. We’re pleased that the Department for Education is helping us and tootoot roll this programme out to as many schools as possible. Bullying can take many forms. Intimidation and victimisation used to be limited to the playground, but now extends beyond the school gates. Sometimes children can feel embarrassed talking to their teachers and parents about cyberbullying. Reporting tools like tootoot allow children to raise issues like bullying confidentially.