Specialist Practitioner Student – School Nursing

Student.com (UK) Limited; Reading; On-site; GBP 34,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading healthcare provider is offering a unique opportunity to train as a School Nurse through a fully funded course. This role involves gaining valuable qualifications while supporting children's health and development in a community setting. Successful candidates will join a supportive team and have access to excellent career development opportunities.

Benefits

27 days’ annual leave

Generous NHS pension scheme

Flexible working options

Learning and career development opportunities

Discounts at popular retailers

Free parking across Trust sites

Qualifications

• Registered nurse or midwife with NMC qualification.
• Meet university entrance requirements.
• Passion for public health and School Nursing.

Responsibilities

• Complete required education at level 7 for School Nursing.
• Work under supervision of a Community Practice Assessor.
• Assess and develop care packages for children.

Skills

Public Health

Communication

Teamwork

Education

Current NMC Qualification as a nurse or midwife

Level 6 qualification or above

Job description

Contract1 year (Fixed term will be 1 year from start date in early September)HoursFull time - 37.5 hours per weekJob ref371-TAP-CFS4053EmployerBerkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation TrustEmployer typeNHSSiteReading and New Bucks UniTownReadingSalary£33,941 per annumSalary periodYearlyClosing28/04/2025 23:59

Employer heading

Band 5

Job overview

Passionate about supporting children and ready for the next step in your nursing career?

Train with us to become a fully qualified School Nurse!

Our School Nursing team is delighted to offer an exciting, paid and fully funded opportunity to train as a School Nurse through the Specialist Community Public Health Nursing (SCPHN) course, in partnership with Bucks New University.

If you're a qualified nurse or midwife with a strong interest in public health and school nursing, we’d love to hear from you. Starting in September 2025, this full-time course combines university learning, supervised community practice with Berkshire Healthcare, and study days. The modules are engaging, relevant, and directly linked to practice.

With placements in Wokingham or Reading or West Berkshire, you’ll be fully supported by our School Nursing Team and a Community Practice Assessor (CPA).

On completion, you’ll gain a Post Graduate Diploma from Bucks New University and the in-depth grounding and required skills to support children’s development and give them the best start in life.

You can learn more about the SCPHN course on the New Bucks University website.

Once qualified, you’ll join our supportive team as a Band 6 School Nurse. You’ll take a substantive post with BHFT for at least two years, subject to vacancies.

Applications for this role will be reviewed on a first-come, first-served basis. We encourage you to apply as soon as possible, as vacancies may close early.

Main duties of the job

To complete the required further education at level 7in order toprovide andmaintaina high standard of skilledSchool Nursingpractice for individuals,groupsand communities in a variety of settingsin accordance withthe accredited faculty syllabus.

The specialist practice studentSchool Nurseworks under the direction of the CPA, who is a member of the locality School Nursing Team. The student will work with their School NursingSupervisor’s client group under supervision.

To work with CPAand university lecturers to reflect on academic learning and practice, contribute to assessment of progress, plan learningobjectivesandsubmitacademic coursework according to university deadlines.

To assess and re-assess care needs, develop, implement, and evaluate packages of care in liaison with and under the direct tutelage of theCPA / Supervisor.

Working for our organisation

Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust is a specialist mental health and community health services trust. Rated ‘outstanding’ by the CQC, we’re committed to providing the best possible care to people across Berkshire. As an employer, we’re committed to offering an inclusive and compassionate environment where our people share in a sense of belonging and are supported to flourish.

Our values at Berkshire Healthcare are:

Caring for and about you is our top priority

Committed to providing good quality, safe services

Working Together with you to develop innovative solutions

Your wellbeing is important to us. Some of the benefits of working for us include:

Flexible working options to support work-life balance

27 days’ annual leave rising with service + opportunity to buy and sell

Generous NHS pension scheme

Excellent learning and career development opportunities

‘Cycle to Work’ and car leasing scheme including electric vehicles

Access to a range of wellbeing tools and services

Discounts at hundreds of popular retailers and restaurants

Staff networks for race, diversity, disabilities, the environment and armed forces community to support equality

Generous maternity, paternity, adoption and special leave

Free parking across Trust sites

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

The “must haves” for this role:

Meet the university entrance requirements and be able to evidence the academic ability to study at a minimum of level 6.

Current NMC Qualification as a nurse or midwife at time of application.

A passion for and understanding of public health and the School Nursing service.

For further information about the role, please see attached job description and person specification.

We strongly encourage you to review how you meet the criteria in the person specification and write about this point-by-point in your supporting statement for the best chance of being shortlisted.

We’re committed to equal opportunities and welcome applications from all sections of the community. Our commitment to inclusion is reflected in our accreditations: Race Equality Matters Silver Trailblazer, Neurodiversity in Business Corporate Member, Disability Confident Leader, Carer Confident Level 2, and the Armed Forces Covenant Gold Award. Reasonable adjustments will be provided to candidates as needed.

We welcome a conversation about flexibility and any other questions you may have. Please don’t hesitate to call Karen Jacobs on 07823 551367 who’ll be delighted to help.

Please note, we may close this role earlier than the advertised closing date, so please submit your application as soon as possible.

Applications must be made using NHS jobs website. By submitting your application via NHS Jobs, you consent to BHFT sharing your application form with Bucks New University.

Person specification

Qualifications

Current NMC Qualification as a nurse

Meet the university entrance requirements – Level 6 qualification(or above) or evidence of previous education and learning to this level

The applicant must be registered with a PIN at time of application.

Evidence of completed preceptorship or equivalent post qualification.

Desirable criteria

Educated to degree level

Mentoring qualification or equivalent.

Knowledge and Expertise

Demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of the role of a School Nurse in the context of the wider health team in community settings.

Knowledge of current legislation and national policies which influence the provision of School Nursing practice

Awareness of principles of Safeguarding and identification and management of risk within context of School Nurse role

Awareness of current issues and knowledge of developments for the School Nursing specialist practice pathway

Demonstrate the ability to support children and families to make informed decisions in relation to their health and well- being

Understanding of structure and functions of the NHS.

Excellent interpersonal skills.

Demonstrate excellent and effective communication skills both written and verbal.

Ability to work on own initiative as well as part of a team

Ability to plan, organise and prioritise work.

Demonstrate ability to adapt to working within a changing environment

Evidence of appropriate understanding of knowledge and skills required to undertake role

Enthusiastic and motivated to undertake School Nursing and take substantive employment within BHFT (2 years post course)

Ability to withstand pressures of undertaking demanding academic study and able to balance with personal commitments

Demonstrate understanding of Equality and Diversity and implications for service delivery.

Experience

Evidence of a continuous professional development (CPD) within the last 5 years

Desirable criteria

Paediatric experience

Community Nursing experience

Demonstration of effective leadership qualities

Evidence of being a proactive and innovative/reflective practitioner

Analytical and judgmental skills

Knowledge of quality issues, the audit process and clinical governance

Academic ability to study independently at degree or postgraduate level

Competent to use a range of IT systems and databases

Desirable criteria

Ability to research/present relevant topics to a range of audiences

Personal skills

Evidence of effective team working

Ability to work without direct supervision

Ability to work flexibly in order to respond to service needs

Willingness to teach students and colleagues

Excellent time management and organisational skills

Ability to form strong professional working relationships

Car Driver who holds full driving licence with access to a vehicle.

Ability and willingness to travel across the BHFT footprint of School Nursing services.

These are the values that we live by at Berkshire Healthcare:

Caring

Committed

working Together with you to develop innovative solutions

We welcome people who share these values to come and work for us.

Please find attached the behaviour framework that underpins these values for this job role.

At Berkshire Healthcare, we foster an inclusive workplace where everyone belongs.

Watch our careers video to learn more.

We welcome talent from all backgrounds and offer guaranteed interviews to disabled applicants and armed forces community members who meet the minimum criteria.

Please note we may close positions before the advertised date.

[email protected]

Once you have applied, please check your email regularly for updates. All appointments are subject to NHS Employment Checks, and false information may result in withdrawal of offers. For information on how we store your information, please review our privacy statement .

No agencies, please.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

Applicant requirements

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.