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School nurse

Alternative titles for this job include Specialist community public health nurse

School nurses work with schools and families to improve the health and wellbeing of children and young people.

Average salary (a year)

£25,654 Starter

to

£39,026 Experienced

Typical hours (a week)

38 to 40 variable

You could work

between 8am and 6pm

How to become

Explore the different ways to get into this role.

How to become a school nurse

You can get into this job through:

  • an apprenticeship
  • working towards this role

Apprenticeship

If you are a qualified registered nurse or midwife you may be able to do a specialist community public health nurse (Master's) degree apprenticeship.

This typically takes 18 months to complete as a mix of 50 percent workplace learning and 50 percent academic study at an accredited university.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • to be a registered nurse

More Information

Work

You can apply to become a school nurse if you're a registered nurse or midwife. Any branch of nursing is acceptable.

You'll usually complete a course in Specialist Community Public Health Nursing - School Nursing, approved by the Nursing & Midwifery Council.

Courses can last between 1 and 2 years.

More Information

Registration

Career tips

You may have an advantage when looking for work or training if you've got experience in health promotion or working with children in the community.

Knowledge of child protection and an understanding of family planning issues and the health needs of school children would also be useful.

Further information

You'll find more details about becoming a school nurse from Health Careers.

What it takes

Find out what skills you’ll use in this role.

What it takes

Skills and knowledge

You'll need:

  • knowledge of medicine and nursing practices
  • patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations
  • the ability to accept criticism and work well under pressure
  • sensitivity and understanding
  • a desire to help people
  • the ability to work well with others
  • to be thorough and pay attention to detail
  • excellent verbal communication skills
  • to be able to use a computer and the main software packages competently

Restrictions and Requirements

You'll need to:

You are likely to need a driving licence for this job.

What you’ll do

Discover the day to day tasks you’ll do in this role.

What you'll do

Day-to-day tasks

As part of your role, you could:

  • raise awareness of health issues like smoking and drug abuse
  • promote healthy living, including safe-sex education
  • give immunisations and vaccinations
  • carry out developmental screening
  • train teachers on healthcare issues
  • advise on school health policy
  • support children with medical needs like asthma, diabetes, epilepsy or mental health issues

Working environment

You could work at a school, at a pupil referral unit, in the community or at a college.

Career path and progression

Look at progression in this role and similar opportunities.

Career path and progression

With experience, you could become a team manager or a community matron.

You could also become a manager of a service or work in education or research.

Current opportunities

Find apprenticeships, courses and jobs available near you.

Current opportunities

Apprenticeships In England

We can't find any apprenticeship vacancies in England for a school nurse right now.

The Find an apprenticeship service can help you with your search, send alerts when new apprenticeships become available and has advice on how to apply.

Courses In England

Access to HE - Nursing

  • Provider: WARWICKSHIRE COLLEGE
  • Start date: 05 September 2022
  • Location: Rugby

Access to Higher Education Nursing

  • Provider: EALING, HAMMERSMITH & WEST LONDON COLLEGE
  • Start date: 13 September 2022
  • Location: London
Find courses near you

Jobs In the United Kingdom

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Skills assessment

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