THE number of reported racial incidents in Hampshire schools has increased.

However, the rise - up from 448 in 2002 to 549 last year - is a result of more schools making annual returns to the county council, says the authority.

Since 1996 the council has collated and monitored racial incidents in schools and last year 91 per cent of schools returned information, an increase on the previous year.

Those schools that did not give any information are being urged to do so.

Racial incidents include name calling, comments in discussion, jokes, graffiti, a refusal to sit next to someone, jostling and pushing.

The majority of incidents related to name calling or comments in discussion, and the county council says incidents involving a more physical element remained low, at 3.6 per cent of the total.

Ofsted says that of the 70 Hampshire schools inspected during May 2002 to July 2003, 80 per cent of primary schools and 74 per cent of secondary schools were judged to be satisfactory or better in terms of cultural diversity.

The county council's education policy review committee has agreed that schools which have not submitted a return to the county council should be reminded of the need to do so.

The chairman of the committee, Cllr Mel Kendal, is to write to schools that have not yet adopted a race relations policy, reminding them of their legal responsibilities under the Race Relations Act.

Cllr Don Allen, Hampshire's executive member for education, said: "I am pleased to see the majority of Hampshire schools are monitoring racial incidents, but it is disappointing that some schools, despite reminders, have not sent us returns.

"This information is essential to allow the county council to have a detailed understanding of the scale of the problem of racial incidents in our schools and to ensure the appropriate support is being provided.

"A lot of good work is already being done and I hope that this will continue to help our schools combat racism."