CHILDREN across England and Wales face a catastrophic mental health crisis due to “patchwork and often inadequate access” to specialist support in schools, a poll of nearly 18,000 teachers has revealed.

Two-thirds warned that there were not enough trained workers in child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) to meet demand, while a third of support staff reported receiving no specialist help whatsoever.

The survey by the National Education Union (NEU), published on the final day of its annual conference in Harrogate, also suggests that it is “commonplace” for there to be no school nurse, trained mental health first-aider or qualified mental health lead in many state and independent settings.