SECONDARY schools were urged today to address the widespread bullying of LGBT students to tackle the number dropping out of education.

Theirworld has warned that over a quarter of a million Britain’s LGBT students are expected to drop out of secondary education as regular verbal abuse and threats of violence have become commonplace for many.

Research by the charity found that 73 per cent of victims experienced verbal abuse, 53 per cent were harassed, and 24 per cent received threats of physical violence.

About 27 per cent felt unsafe at school, with 47 per cent facing bullying or discrimination because of their sexuality.

Nearly 60 per cent of transgender students felt bullied or discriminated against because of their gender identity.

One student described how she had “a brick thrown at my face” when coming out as lesbian, while another reported how using the school bathrooms was so traumatic that they “started to deliberately dehydrate myself so that I wouldn’t have to go to the bathroom during school hours.”

A third said: “I was regularly beaten up, I was stalked home, I was spat on, I had bloody tampons put in my food, someone pissed on my PE kit.”

Fewer than half reported an incident. Among them, 72 per cent said it was dealt with “badly.”

Theirworld president Justin van Fleet said that widespread bullying is limiting LGBT students’ access to education, adding: “This isn’t just happening at the fringes, it’s happening en masse.

“And too little is being done to prevent the daily bullying and harassment many endure.

“It’s not only a failure of the education system to protect the more than 280,000 children unable to complete their GCSEs, it’s a national moral failure, with lasting economic consequences.”

Theirworld also estimates that each graduating class of LGBT students who leave school early will cost Britain up to £233 million in lost productivity.

Over a working lifetime, the numbers equate to over £10 billion in lost economic value.

Association of School and College Leaders general secretary Pepe Di’Iasio said the union is “deeply concerned” by the survey’s findings.

He said: “Bullying and discrimination in any form is completely unacceptable and schools take these matters extremely seriously.

“All settings have robust safeguarding policies in place to prevent and address such behaviour, and we would urge any student affected to inform their teachers immediately.”

The Department for Education was approached for comment.