School Nurse
- Job title: School Nurse
- Job Type: Full Time, Term Time
- Salary: £32,500 pro rata (FTE £40,047)
- Department: Wellbeing
- Reporting to: Director of Pupil Wellbeing
- Location: Highgate, North London
- Start: As soon as possible
- Closing Date: 24 April 2023 at 12:00 am
Are you a qualified Nurse (Band 6) who is able to bring their skills and experience to a busy school environment?
We have an exciting opportunity for a School Nurse to join the Lead School Nurse in our friendly and dynamic Health and Wellbeing Team. You’ll be responsible for providing a robust medical service within the School, ensuring pupils and staff receive effective treatment and care. We’re looking for a friendly and approachable candidate who can manage day to day medical duties and administration, alongside excellent communication skills with the team, school colleagues, pupils and parents.
The Department
Wellbeing matters at Highgate and we aim to embed good wellbeing practices for pupils in all we do. The Medical team is part of the Health and Wellbeing Team and together we understand the strong relationship between physical health and emotional wellbeing and recognise the importance of good health and wellbeing support for pupils.
Our Wellbeing team consists of a Director of Pupil Wellbeing, two Wellbeing Practitioners, Counsellors and Play Therapists across the Foundation and a Medical team. The Medical team and Wellbeing Practitioners work closely together where physical and mental health needs overlap. The Wellbeing team works collaboratively with school staff to ensure they are equipped to understand and respond to the health and wellbeing needs of pupils, knowing when to refer on if needed.
We have a wellbeing hub where pupils can go to emotionally regulate and to seek help and treatment of physical ailments. The medical facilities are well equipped in order to facilitate the immediate care, both medical and pastoral, of pupils and staff at Highgate. There are two main sites where medical care is available – the Senior School Medical Centre on North Road and the Bishopswood Road Medical Centre. The Lead Nurse, School Nurse and Medical Assistants share the responsibility for the day-to day medical provision across the whole school and may be required to cover at either site.
We take a whole school approach to mental health and wellbeing that is based on education and awareness, prevention, and therapeutic support. Health and wellbeing education is incorporated in our PSHE lessons with contributions from the Medical and Wellbeing team where needed. We want to support our pupils to thrive in school and beyond so they are emotionally aware and resilient, happy in themselves, their world and the relationships they foster.
The School Nurse works alongside the Lead School Nurse in supporting pupils’ health and wellbeing in order for them to fully participate in active school life. As well as pupil medical care, the school nurse will liaise with school staff, pupils and parents in identifying areas of improvement to the care of students.
Main Responsibilities
- Provision of medical care to pupils on a daily basis
- Ensuring the best possible medical care is available to both pupils on an immediate and an emergency care basis
- Treating pupils as appropriate with the aim of encouraging them to return to their normal timetable as soon as appropriate
- Where necessary, arranging to get the pupil / person home safely or to alternative care, e.g. the individual’s GP or to hospital
- Administering medication according to School policy
- Performing necessary health checks to assist with diagnosis
- Liaison with parents and staff in accordance with the School policies on medical and mental health
- The School Nurses are required to attend buildings other than the Medical Centres and it is vital that they can be contacted at all times so the School will provide mobile phones
- Ensuring safe storage, usage and disposal of medical supplies and drugs
- Provision of first aid kits around the school and replacement of supplies
- Timely maintenance of pupil files, medical records and medical centre attendance records
- Organisation of essential emergency medications in the Dining Hall and on sites (16) other than the Medical Centre
- Co-ordinating immunisation programmes
- Liaising with local health authorities in the organisation of immunisation programmes
- Arranging and managing communication with parents with regard to consent
- Maintaining records on electronic register where appropriate
- Liaison with appropriate teaching staff with regard to any medical problems concerning pupils
- Development of health care plans where appropriate; giving support to relevant teaching staff in their dealings with pupils in the classroom and in extra-curricular activities
- As part of the nursing team, drafting and updating of “essential care list” of pupils with “need to know” conditions to communicate risk and manage confidentiality
- Add appropriate information onto the pupil recording systems (CPOMS) to communicate about pupils medical/wellbeing information to staff as appropriate
- Providing general advice and training for staff for initial care of pupils with particular medical needs
- Liaising with the wellbeing, safeguarding and inclusion team regarding any concerns about individual pupils as needed
- The School Nurse works closely with the Designated Safeguarding Leads, the Pastoral Management Teams, Welfare Support Officers and School Counsellors, across senior school, junior school and pre-prep, but at all times exercises judgment regarding confidentiality in the context of the primacy of prioritising the safeguarding and welfare of children
- When requested, provision of first aid updates for members of staff, particularly Sport and Exercise staff or those regularly involved in residential trips
- When requested, contributing to topics within PSHE schemes of work and / or other assemblies
- As appropriate, raising awareness of medical and health issues to pupils and staff throughout the School – this may be by distributing appropriate material via pastoral staff, or updating health issues notice boards, and participating in assemblies.
Health and Safety
- Working with staff to ensure the timely completion of accident reports and following School policy in the submission of RIDDOR reports.
- Medical representation, as appropriate, on the School Health and Safety Committee.
- Support the School in a consulting capacity in their management of medical issues relating to a medical crisis, such as the Covid-19 Pandemic.
Administration
- Working with the Lead School Nurse to ensure medical questionnaires and all relevant parental consent forms to administer or carry medicine etc. on entry to school and at agreed stages of school career are obtained and retained.
- Assisting with the implementation and regular updating of pupil health care plans.
- Maintaining electronic records of daily visits to Medical Centres or accidents treated and reported, including the nature of problem, treatment or advice. Updating as necessary to ensure accurate and rapid retrieval of information.
- Supporting the Lead Nurse in gathering information for the preparing of reports as needed by the school management teams.
- These duties and responsibilities are intended as a guide only. The School Nurse will be expected to undertake any other reasonable task or responsibility as may be requested by their Line Manager, the Bursar or their designated Deputies.
- Criteria
- How will these be tested or verified?
- Qualifications & Experience
Essential
- SCN, RN–child, or RGN with relevant experience (i.e. A&E, School nursing, Practice nursing) Band 6.
- Skills, Knowledge & Abilities
Essential
- Experience as a School Nurse, preferably in a school or independent school setting
- In depth knowledge of laws governing nurses and their implementation
- Licensed & qualified as a paediatric Nurse (Band 6)
- Strong interpersonal, communication and organisational skills
- A clear interest in being part of a school community and working to establish a school based medical service.
- A strong work ethic.
- Ability to work independently and collaborate with a team.
- Adaptability, initiative, and flexibility.
- Approachable with interpersonal skills.
- Excellent time management skills, punctual and ability to prioritise work.
- Good communication skills (verbal and written); excellent grammar and punctuation.
- Reliability and able to maintain confidentiality.
- Skilled at information gathering and data management.
- Able to use their own initiative. Assumes responsibility and ownership for work issues and problems of a primary operational nature.
- Imparts a positive impact with student and staff.
- Supports the aims, objectives, goals, ethos, and mission of the school.
- Establishes team direction and responsibilities for school medical staff.
- Has positive impact with students and staff.
- Speaks clearly, sensitively, and persuasively when interacting with internal personnel.
Benefits
Location | Highgate Village, adjacent to Hampstead Heath, with quaint shops and easy connections across London.
Pension | AVIVA workplace pension scheme offered – 21% employer contribution, with the ability to flex up to 11% of this as additional non-pensionable salary, employees contribute a minimum of 5%.
Personal development | Comprehensive induction support for new staff. Focus on continued professional development for all employees.
Leisure facilities | Free access, at stipulated times, to our sports facilities, including a fitness suite and swimming pool (recently refurbished).
Holidays | Generous holiday allowance of 33 days (including bank holidays) for full-time staff. Most holidays will be taken during school holiday periods.
Lunch | A complimentary lunch including hot meals, sandwiches, salads, fresh fruit and dessert.
Help with sustainable travel | Access to the Cycle to Work Scheme and a Season Ticket Loan scheme for public transport.
Family-friendly policies | Highgate appreciates that employees sometimes have family commitments so we try to be as supportive as possible, for example with enhanced maternity pay (8 weeks’ full pay, then 10 weeks’ half pay) and paid dependant leave.
Working at Highgate
A culture of community, kindness and belonging
Highgate is a caring, open-minded community, where we promote kindness, empathy and friendship. Everyone who works and studies with us deserves to feel they are part of a welcoming environment that enables them to be themselves and to thrive as individuals.
Our community extends beyond the school, through partnerships, charity work and our commitment to equality, inclusion and sustainability. All members of our school community are encouraged to look outwards and play an active role.
In a recent ISI inspection (Dec 2021), it was noted that “Pupils show exceptional respect for, and appreciate diversity within the school and wider community, and their own and other cultures, demonstrating sensitivity and tolerance to those from different backgrounds and traditions.”
Staff wellbeing
Highgate is committed to staff wellbeing, which we promote by encouraging a strong work-life balance; trying our best to support flexible working requests; providing a nutritious complimentary lunch in the dining hall; and offering access to sporting facilities including our recently renovated swimming pool.
The Staff Wellbeing Committee, with representatives across the School, meets regularly to drive forward initiatives, and a selection of staff have been trained as Mental-Health First Aiders.
We encourage an open culture throughout our school, with regular staff surveys, action committees and opportunities to feedback. We strive for continual learning and improvement, and staff training and development is paramount. There are opportunities to participate in the wider life of our school, such as taking part in trips or societies and getting involved in partnership projects.
More details about working at Highgate can be found here:
Charitable work and sustainability
As an independent school, we want to use our position as a charity effectively: to make high-quality education accessible to as many children as possible – through our bursary programme at Highgate and through our work with local state schools. We have partnerships with over 60 state schools across 7 London boroughs, and we are the principal educational sponsor for London Academy of Excellence, Tottenham – an academically-selective state sixth form in a community where such opportunities are lacking.
Alongside this, our staff and pupils undertake charitable activities throughout the year. These range from staff giving up their time to neighbourhood schools and charitable organisations, focused fundraising campaigns, to pupils undertaking community work in the local area or further afield.
As a school, we have a central role to play in educating our pupils, staff and parents about the importance of environmental sustainability. We are taking positive action to adapt our operational performance to tackle the negative effects of climate change. We encourage all our staff to reflect upon their personal and professional practices, to support our environmental agenda and to make positive changes wherever possible.
Application procedure
- Closing Date: 24th April 2023
- Timing of interviews: Week commencing 8 May 2023
Contact: Kemi Omijeh, Director of Wellbeing is happy to answer any questions about this post.
Early Application: Applications will be considered ‘as and when’ received and we may close the vacancy if we appoint before the closing date.
Apply hereInclusion
We know that more diverse teams are stronger teams, and that the more inclusive we are, the more our staff and pupils will feel a sense of belonging and will thrive. To enable us to make reasonable adjustments, please let us know of any disabilities (including neuro-divergence) when you submit your application.
Safeguarding
As this role will have regular unsupervised contact with children you must, if appointed, comply with Highgate’s Safeguarding Policy and Staff Code of Conduct. If in the course of carrying out the duties of the post the post holder becomes aware of any actual or potential risks to the safety and welfare of our pupils, these concerns must be reported immediately in accordance with the Safeguarding Policy. If whilst in the post, Highgate becomes aware of any safeguarding concerns to staff, pupils or the community; these will need to be followed up in line with the safeguarding policy and code of conduct which is underpinned by KCSE and other legislation. These concerns may need to be shared with other agencies. A copy of these policies will accompany all offers of employment. Training will also be provided to all staff to support Safeguarding practice.
Please read before you apply
Highgate is committed to the safeguarding and welfare of children and applicants must be willing to undergo child protection screening appropriate to this post, including checks with past employers, the Disclosure and Barring Service and overseas police check if necessary. Candidates from overseas must provide information about their past conduct, for example, by providing documents issued by overseas teaching authorities.
Please note that this role is ‘exempt’ from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and therefore, you are required to declare any convictions, cautions, reprimands and final warnings that are not ‘protected’ (i.e. filtered out) as defined by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (as amended in 2013). Shortlisted candidates will be asked to provide details of all unspent convictions and those that would not be filtered, prior to the date of the interview.
In accordance with the latest guidance from KCSIE, we shall be conducting online searches on any candidates who are shortlisted.