The parents of an 11-year-old who killed himself after being taunted on the school bus have welcomed the formation of anti-bullying task force.

Paul and Caroline Vodden's son Ben died in December last year after becoming depressed following a campaign of verbal and physical abuse from schoolmates at Tanbridge House School in Horsham.

Most of the abuse took place on his bus home from school, and the community was shocked to discover the driver had joined in.

Mr Vodden found Ben hanging from his bunk bed at the family home in Southwater, near Horsham, by a noose made from shoelaces.

At an inquest into his death last month the coroner, who recorded an open verdict, said the West Sussex County Council must make changes to prevent any repeats of bullying which drove him to death.

The council has announced the formation of the task force which will be responsible for a focused and wide-ranging review of new ways to combat bullying, paying particular attention to incidents outside of school.

The group will report back to the council with its findings by September 30.

Mr Vodden told The Argus: "Clearly whatever they do it will not bring Ben back.

"But we hope that if they act quickly and positively they can prevent another tragedy like this from taking place in the future.

"All schools need to recognise that bullying goes on. Any school that says there is no bullying among its pupils is hiding their head in the sand."

Mr Vodden said his family was still struggling to come to terms with what had happened to their son.

County councillor Mark Dunn, responsible for schools, said: "Bullying is not tolerated in our schools, and a great deal of excellent work has been done to combat it, in all its forms.

"However, we must build on the good practice that already exists in order to prevent bullying as far as possible, and to tackle it robustly whenever it does occur.

"We need to recognise that bullying can be present in any place or circumstance, and that all concerned: pupils, parents, school staff, governors, the council and other agencies, have an important role to play in protecting the well being of children and young people."

The council said it was unable to give any examples of the types of initiatives which might be considered.

Anti-bullying cards have already been distributed to all pupils giving details of who to contact for advice and help.

Liz Kernell, director of the anti-bullying website and campaign Bullying Online, suggested placing monitors on buses, banning pupils known as bullies and ensuring bus drivers on school routes attend child protection courses.

She said: "Headteachers already have powers to deal with bullying outside of their schools. It is a case of making sure incidents are reported to them."

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