Introduction
School nurses are public health nurses who work with 5- to 19-year-olds, including children educated in school, and those who are educated at home. They give confidential advice, care and treatment to children and young people, and work with parents and carers in schools and other community settings.
They work to improve the health and wellbeing of this age group, and identify anyone who needs early help. They can also help with conversations between health and education.
A school nurse helps by:
- empowering children and young people to make healthy lifestyle choices
- providing a point of contact for children and young people, parents or carers, and schools that need health advice or information. This may involve assessing individual needs, offering advice, and referring to other services, as necessary
- supporting children and young people with an ongoing or specific health need to access the universal health offer by linking with specialist teams. This may include children with complex health needs, or a learning or physical disability
- keeping children and young people safe by working with their parents or carers and other professionals
School nurses offer booked, brief intervention contacts, at school, in a confidential community setting, via text messaging or over the phone. They help with the following types of health concerns:
- healthier lifestyles information – for example, diet, sleep, oral health, physical activity, personal care
- management of primary nocturnal enuresis
- navigation of health system and supported referral to other services
- understanding healthy relationships
- sexual health services (age appropriate)
- resilience building and psycho-social education
- keeping safe, options for managing substance misuse including drug, alcohol, smoking and vaping
Includes Somerset School Team offer and referral criteria
You can give us feedback on the service by using this form:
Contact the team
The Somerset School Nurse Team phone number 0300 790 9854
Downloads
Contact the school nursing team on 07480635515
If you’re 11-19 and concerned about something send us a message on 07480635516
SEND information - part of our Local Offer
Local Offer Live: introducing health visitors and school nurses
Rachael from Public Health Nursing shares information about health visitors and school nurses in Somerset – the different health and wellbeing reviews and contacts you can expect. They also cover their involvement in multi-agency identification and support in the early years, and continence and constipation pathway and national child measurement programme.