We have many traumatised children in this school...we try to build trust and make school a safe place for them to be. But we do not have the skills to help them make sense of what has happened to them. The shame is that no one else seems to be doing it either

a teacher questioned for the survey

According to the study, trainee teachers receive an average of two hours training on child protection before they begin work in schools.

The Chief Executive of the NSPCC, Mary Marsh said: "Teachers are expected to identify the signs of child abuse and know how best to respond to them after just a few hours child protection training. This is not good enough.

"Teachers are in the best position to spot early signs of abuse and children see schools as neutral places where they can talk about what is happening to them.

"Schools are asking for more training and support, as well as better communication between agencies such as social services, to ensure vulnerable children do not slip through the child protection net."

Schools are a vital link in the child protection system and should not be overlooked

Mary Marsh, NSPCC

The survey covered 128 teacher training courses, 327 primary and secondary schools and 130 local education authorities in England and Wales.

The author of the report, Mary Baginsky, said schools had shown a high level of commitment towards child protection, but that more training was needed.

"Teachers need more training and there needs to be better communication between the various agencies involved in child protection.

"The problem is that helping these children involves two agencies (schools and social services) which are under a lot of pressure."

NSPCC Survey

88% of teachers responsible for child protection thought many colleagues would not recognise signs of abuse 84% of schools were concerned with the lack of communication between the different agencies involved in child protection 2/3 of schools were unsure when to contact social services about child abuse worries 3/4 schools were worried about the time spent on child protection issues

Since 1988, schools have each designated a teacher who is responsible for child protection. This is often the deputy head or head teacher, according to the NSPCC's report.

Mary Baginsky maintains that much of the training on child abuse is directed at the designated teacher.

She says classroom teachers often have closer contact with pupils and would benefit from more training to help them spot the signs of abuse and then take appropriate action.

One teacher who was questioned for the survey said she had been asked by social workers to speak to parents herself, regarding a direct request for help from a pupil, before they would get involved.

She said: "My training led me to believe that I should report and then leave the rest to the experts. At these times I have felt very vulnerable and afraid of doing more harm than good."

NUT

The National Union of Teachers (NUT) says there was a government-led surge in child protection training in the mid-1980s.

A spokeswoman said: "There was a very big push, which then disappeared. There is also a high turn-over of teachers so some of those who were trained then have left the profession.

"Teachers would like more training, but the difficulty for schools is how to fit in the training while maintaining the curriculum.

"Teachers are not going to spot everything but they do build trust with their pupils and are a very important link in the chain of protection."