Senior School Nurse (AfC equivalent Band 6)

NHS; London; On-site; GBP 44,000 - 48,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading healthcare provider in London is seeking a Senior School Nurse to work with children and families within schools and communities. This role involves delivering holistic health assessments, mentoring students, and developing partnerships to promote health services. Candidates should be registered nurses with significant experience in child health, and they will be supported in their professional development. Competitive salary range from £44,331 to £47,532 per year.

Benefits

Generous annual leave

Membership of the NHS Pension Scheme

Support for advanced clinical training

Qualifications

• Significant post-registration experience working with children and families.
• Working knowledge of safeguarding procedures and multi-agency collaboration.

Responsibilities

• Deliver holistic health assessments and care plans for children and young people.
• Develop and maintain multi-agency partnerships.
• Support training programmes regarding medical needs.

Skills

Strong clinical leadership and supervisory skills

Excellent communication abilities

Knowledge of public health issues

Ability to teach and assess students

Competence in using IT systems

Education

Registered Nurse (NMC Registered)

Specialist Community Public Health Nurse (School Nursing)

Postgraduate qualification (or near completion)

Job description

Senior School Nurse (AfC equivalent Band 6)

• Working with children, young people, and their families in schools and the community
• Supporting children and young people with their health needs
• Helping vulnerable families and reducing health inequalities
• Developing your leadership and management skills while mentoring junior staff

If yes, we would love to hear from you!

About the Role:

We are seeking an enthusiastic and innovative Senior School Nurse (SCPHN Qualified) to join our dynamic School Health Team. This exciting role is based at Newham Dockside, with work across the borough. You will be part of a multidisciplinary team of school health professionals, addressing the health needs of children, young people, and their families in line with the Healthy Child Programme (5–19 years).

You will proactively work to reduce the impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and health inequalities, delivering high-quality, evidence-based care and leading service innovation.

Main duties of the job

• Deliver holistic health assessments and care plans for children and young people
• Develop and maintain multi-agency partnerships at school and borough levels
• Mentor and support the development of pre-registration and SCPHN postgraduate students
• Lead service delivery initiatives, including drop-in sessions and allocation meetings
• Promote and increase the visibility of school health services in local communities
• Participate in safeguarding processes, multi-agency case conferences, and Early Help strategies
• Support training programmes for schools regarding medical needs and public health initiatives
• Maintain accurate electronic records using the RiO system and contribute to audit and governance activities
• Engage with the ChatHealth text messaging service and other digital platforms to support accessibility

About us

Why Join Us?

Newham is a diverse borough with a very young population, experiencing regeneration as part of the Olympic legacy. With over 86,000 children and young people living in Newham, our vision is to ensure each child has the same life chances as those in other parts of London.

Newham’s 0-19 Children's Health Service underwent a CQC inspection in 2021 and was rated Good in all areas.

We recognise that delivering high-quality services to the community depends on a healthy, motivated workforce. Therefore, we are proud to offer:

Genuine Management Support

• Strong leadership and supportive management teams
• A commitment to our HEART values and behaviours (Honesty, Equality, Ambition, Respect, Together)

Money Matters

• Flexible starting salary within the allocated grade for the right candidates
• Generous local government annual leave allowance
• Membership of the Local Government Pension Scheme
• Continued access to the NHS Pension Scheme (NHSPS) for health professionals who meet eligibility criteria
• Recognition of previous NHS continuous service

Learning & Development

• Support for advanced clinical training and a comprehensive workforce development package
• Clear competency frameworks and career progression pathways
• Access to smart technology to support modern working practices

Job responsibilities

To develop, implement and evaluate a comprehensive school health service that is aimed to continuously improve standards of health and social care for the school aged population; and the facilitation of collaborative and multi-professional working across professional and organisational boundaries in partnership with key statutory and voluntary organisations.

This will be achieved through leadership and clinical excellence for our staff and involvement, self-care and personalisation for our service users; taking into account corporate and directorate objectives within the clinical governance framework which underpins the National Service Framework and Healthy Child Programme.

Job description

Job responsibilities

To develop, implement and evaluate a comprehensive school health service that is aimed to continuously improve standards of health and social care for the school aged population; and the facilitation of collaborative and multi-professional working across professional and organisational boundaries in partnership with key statutory and voluntary organisations.

This will be achieved through leadership and clinical excellence for our staff and involvement, self-care and personalisation for our service users; taking into account corporate and directorate objectives within the clinical governance framework which underpins the National Service Framework and Healthy Child Programme.

The post holder will be professionally responsible and accountable for the assessment of health needs, planning and evaluation of the school health service delivery, for both individuals and groups within a defined school age population delegating casework to team members as required. They will work in partnership with schools, parents/carers and other agencies to achieve the best health outcomes for children and young people.

Main Duties and Responsibilities:

1. Deliver holistic health assessments and care plans for children and young people
2. Develop and maintain multi-agency partnerships at school and borough levels
3. Mentor and support the development of pre-registration and SCPHN postgraduate students
4. Lead service delivery initiatives, including drop-in sessions and allocation meetings
5. Promote and increase the visibility of school health services in local communities
6. Participate in safeguarding processes, multi-agency case conferences, and Early Help strategies
7. Support training programmes for schools regarding medical needs and public health initiatives
8. Maintain accurate electronic records using the RiO system and contribute to audit and governance activities
9. Engage with the ChatHealth text messaging service and other digital platforms to support accessibility

As the key health worker, the school nurse will promote the health and wellbeing of the school-aged child so as to enable each child to reach his/her full potential in line with Newham’s inclusive education policy, helping to minimise effects of social, cultural and racial inequality.

The post holder will be required to develop a specialist role in areas of school nursing practice in line with service requirements and their personal development plan.

Key Tasks and Accountabilities

Key tasks and accountabilities are intended to be a guide to the range and level of work expected of the post holder. This is not an exhaustive list of all tasks that may fall to the post holder and employees will be expected to carry out such other reasonable duties which may be required from time to time.

1. Provide a service to a caseload of children as the named school nurse in appropriate settings such as school, clinic, home, youth clubs, special educational units and other educational establishments
2. Identify and work in partnership to provide a service to vulnerable and socially excluded children who may or may not be attending school
3. Work collaboratively within community hubs, in partnership with children, young people, parents/carers and other agencies to meet the needs of children and young people
4. Complete a targeted school entry health assessment for children entering a school in Newham, including screening of vision, hearing, growth and general health
5. Work in partnership with immunisation nurses to achieve immunisation programme targets
6. Plan, deliver and evaluate health promotion activities in line with the school health curriculum, public health and locally agreed priorities
7. Offer individual support and advice to children, young people, parents/carers, teachers and other professionals
8. Demonstrate user involvement through surveys, meetings, focus groups to plan for meeting community needs
9. Identify and devise appropriate individualised health care plans for the school age child
10. Identify and provide training programmes as identified through school needs
11. Adhere to local child protection procedures and represent health at case conferences and other meetings
12. Attend and participate in Team Around the School (TAS) meetings
13. Provide reports for social services investigations
14. Refer children to other agencies as appropriate and document referrals
15. Use school health profiling to develop the service and influence local policies
16. Develop local service provision agreements for schools in partnership with specialist leads
17. Support clinical team leaders in operational duties and supervise practice
18. Provide preceptorship/mentorship to associate school nurses and preregistration students
19. Provide cover for sick or absent colleagues as required
20. Keep accurate and contemporaneous records in line with policies and NMC guidelines
21. Ensure records are managed per service procedure on RiO and use Early Help templates as required
22. Record statistical data for ICT system and meet data deadlines
23. Provide mental health support as tier 1 practitioners and refer to other services as needed
24. Review induction programs for new staff and reflect current guidelines
25. Contribute to quality data collection to inform users and commissioners and improve service
26. Participate in audits for service development

Professional Responsibilities

1. Comply with the NMC Code of Professional Conduct (Jan 2024) and ensure revalidation every three years
2. Engage with research findings to ensure evidence-based practice
3. Participate in clinical and child protection supervision
4. Undertake regular performance reviews with the line manager
5. Develop practice through continued education and CPD; maintain an electronic record of all training
6. Report incidents/accidents to the line manager
7. Undertake other duties commensurate with the post

Person Specification

Experience

• Significant post-registration experience working with children, young people, and families
• Working knowledge of safeguarding procedures and multi-agency collaboration

Skills and Knowledge

• Strong clinical leadership and supervisory skills
• Excellent communication, interpersonal, and report-writing abilities
• Knowledge of public health issues affecting school-aged children
• Ability to teach and assess students and junior staff
• Competence in using clinical and administrative IT systems
• Understanding and commitment to equality, diversity, and inclusion principles

Qualifications

• Registered Nurse (NMC Registered)
• Specialist Community Public Health Nurse (School Nursing)
• Postgraduate qualification (or currently undertaking and near completion)

Other Requirements

• Ability to travel independently within the borough
• A positive, resilient, and flexible attitude towards change and service improvement

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

£44,331 to £47,532 a year inclusive of the high cost area supplement (HCAS)