Education bosses at Lancashire County Council say there has been a "substantial increase" in the number of children not going to school due to concerns about bullying.

Latest figures show there are currently 467 youngsters registered with the county council as being taught at home after leaving mainstream education.

But it is thought there are many more who have never been in the education system and are therefore not on the register.

A total of 39 are tutored at home because of bullying issues in school which parents feel have not been dealt with effectively, and a further 68 refuse to go to school with their parents' support, mostly 11-16-year-olds.

Others elect for home education due to medical reasons such as allergies, religious reasons, or because they have been excluded.

Around a quarter are children from traveller families, while a further 150 are where parents have chosen home tuition to avoid a range of problems or because they think it's the best route for their child.

There are currently an estimated 161,000 children in the county's schools.

Vali Patel, cabinet member for schools, said: "It's not something we recommend because there's a limited amount of education you can do at home.

"It's not just education - you're talking about the broad building of citizens. Sometimes that may not be possible to do at home.

"Whether they achieve better in comparison to children going to mainstream school is not very clear.

"Those who choose to be educated at home, we visit them and make sure they get the education they need."

In relation to bullying at school, he said: "I think it's all to do with perception. Bullying has not really increased in any particular sense, people are just aware of it more. Bullying does contribute to children being withdrawn from school and there are lots of things schools can do and we support schools to eradicate the bullying."

The county council has set up a task group made up of education experts to look at the matter in more detail.

'It was the right decision for my boys'
Her own experiences of school life prompted Louise Hardy to educate her three sons at home.

The teaching assistant was put through a tough time by bullies herself and decided home tuition would get the best from her boys.

Louise, mum to Sam, 16, Max, 15, and Edward, 13, says: "I didn't want to put my children into that environment. My eldest son, Sam, is very bright and I was concerned at the time that love of learning would just be squashed out of him."

As a former Lancashire co-ordinator of Education Otherwise - a support group for parents who home educate - Louise had regular contact with hundreds of parents who had opted to home tutor their children.

Louise, 44, who is married to Paul and lives in Leyland, said: "One of the big issues that people have is they see these children as being isolated and nothing could be further from the truth.

"I heard about children who were bullied at school and were incredibly unhappy but they've gone into the home education system and they've been much, much happier."

All three boys went on to study at Bolton Boys School and Sam is due to start at famous Harrow School in September.

Louise said: "I gave them the foundations but what they've achieved is down to them and their hard work."