Teachers today welcomed proposals to set up antenatal clinics in schools to care for pregnant teenagers.

The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence, a major health watchdog, said research showed pregnant women under 20 often felt excluded from antenatal care in hospitals.

It suggests midwives go into schools to carry out health checks and offer advice. Teaching unions said schools were "trusted hubs within their communities" and would be ideally placed to help pregnant teenage girls.

Christine Blower, general secretary of the National Union of Teachers, said pregnant pupils risked abandoning their education.

"If antenatal care in school can both keep girls in education and ensure that they and their babies are healthy, it should be welcomed," she said.

Russell Hobby, general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers, said antenatal clinics in schools were a "natural step". "Schools are trusted hubs within their communities. We already do similar things to this. We have social workers based in schools." But schools should not be forced to have antenatal clinics, he added.

Mary Bousted, general secretary of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers, said antenatal classes would not encourage teenagers to get pregnant. "It will simply provide a service which will help ensure the health of mothers and their babies. It is a perfectly good suggestion," she said.