Careers in School Health

You will work as part of a team to keep children safe and well by using your clinical judgment to support evidence-based care planning and make sure that children and families who use our services have a good experience.

1. You can join us as a public health assistant or assistant practitioner with the opportunity to apply for more training including the KCHFT academy nurse apprenticeship programme.
2. You can join as a newly qualified nurse as a school staff nurse.
3. Once you’ve got a year’s experience as a registered nurse or midwife, you can apply to enter the specialist community public health nurse (SCPHN) programme to train to become a school nurse. You could be fully qualified in just 12 months; all while being employed as a vital part of our friendly and professional teams helping children to have the best possible start in life.
4. There’s also great opportunities as a qualified school health nurse in Kent or East Sussex.

When you work for Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust you get so much more than just a great career with fab people.

You'll be paid throughout your training and you also won’t have to pay any fees. You can find out more about the roles available and training routes below. We have a range of full and part-time opportunities ranging from a minimum of 22.5 hours to a maximum of 37.5 hours per week between 9am to 5pm.

Find out more about what we can offer you on our website.

Roles in our team

Public health assistant

You will need to be a confident and flexible practitioner, passionate about improving the health and well-being of children through delivery of the healthy child programme working as part of a team to keep children safe and well.

Mel Den-Mckay shares her experience of becoming a Public Health Assistant

When Mel Den-Mckay needed a job to fit round her family life, she found a fresh start in the NHS.

Mel, 51, from Bekesbourne near Canterbury, was an 'army wife' for 20 years, before finding herself unexpectedly single in 2018, with three school-aged children to raise.

Mel said: "I completed my degree in business studies years ago and after a career in marketing in London, had then dedicated my life to bringing up my three children, Izzy, Archie and Charlie, who are all now in their teens.

“I was married to an army officer and it was a really nomadic lifestyle, moving from posting to posting. I retrained a few times to try to carry on working, as a personal fitness trainer, massage therapist and a reflexologist. At one point I started a business selling greetings cards but I just felt I wasn't succeeding in anything.

"After my marriage ended I started working in a local hotel as a therapist but it was hopeless for family life. I knew I had to 'reincarnate' myself again."

Mel spotted a job advert for a public health assistant in the School Health Screening Team at Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust.

"I had done some teaching assistant work in a local school so I knew I could work with children. I am also very interested in physical health and wellbeing and have a diploma in nutrition. The job seemed ideal for me — Monday-to-Friday, nine-to-five.

“I've worked as part of the team for a year now, doing the national child measurement programme for reception and year six children, and vision and hearing checks for reception children.

"It's really satisfying to find creative ways to reach children. I also enjoy liaising with the schools, getting to know the patch and building relationships.

"I really enjoy it, it's varied and challenging and you never know what each day will bring."

School staff nurse

School staff nurses play a vital role by promoting healthy lifestyles, reducing the likelihood of ill-health, and identifying needs requiring more specialist intervention on issues including behaviour, emotional wellbeing and sleep. School staff nurses are registered nurses and you can join. You can join as a newly registered nurse or midwife.

Specialist community public health nurse (SCPHN) programme to become a school nurse

Ready to take the next step? If you're a registered nurse with a degree or relevant level six qualifications, you could apply for the SCPHN programme to become a school nurse. You'll be fully qualified in just 12 months; all while being employed as a vital part of our friendly and professional team helping children to have the best possible start in life. Once you are accepted onto the course, you’ll settle into your team for a short period, and stay with your team during your training and be offered a substantive role in that team following successful completion of your training. You'll be paid throughout your training year as a mid-point band five team member and, following successful completion, you will be a fully qualified band six school nurse, with opportunities to progress your career further.

Visit our website for some top tips to make your specialist community public health nurse (SCPHN) programme application a success from our Programme Lead, Sue Sharman (pictured) in Health Visiting and Education Lead, Chris Beer in School Health.

To find out more about the application process and the training itself from current SCPHN students and our Education Lead, Chris Beer, School Health Education Lead you can join us for an evening webinar at 6.30 to 8pm, 18 June - please click the link to join the meeting. You can also email directly chrisbeer@nhs.net.

Judy shares her experience of joining the Specialist community public health nurse (SCPHN) programme

Judy Martin, 58, left school not really sure what she wanted to do and didn’t take up a nursing role until her late 30s.

Now Judy, from Hythe, is taking part in the Specialist Community Public Health Nurse (SCPHN) training programme to become a school nurse.

Having a varied career before joining #TeamKCHFT in 2015 including a stint in the Army, working as a health care assistant in elderly and orthopaedic wards, Judy wanted to come to community for more regular hours to suit her home life as a single mum but also more variety and chance to interact with patients on a deeper level. She completed her nurse training while on secondment from the Ashford District Nursing Team and joined the School Health Team in 2022.

“I’ve found my niche in school nursing. I enjoy talking to children and young people about health and wellbeing, helping to prevent problems before they can cause an issue.”

“I’ve been so lucky with all the training opportunities I’ve been offered in the NHS but particularly at KCHFT. If it wasn’t for all the support and encouragement I’ve had since joining, I wouldn’t be where I am today. I’ve still got 10 years left to get my teeth into the school health nurse role before I retire. I want to take all the opportunities available to do the best I can in this role. Experience and knowledge go a long way to making you a better nurse.”

Qualified school nurses

School Health Teams are led by registered, qualified nurses who have a specialist community public health degree. There’s great opportunities as a school health nurse in Kent or east Sussex.

Return to practice roles

If you have previously worked as a qualified school nurse and would like to return to these roles, you may need to undertake a Return to Practice (RTP) training course. These are individually tailored, according to how long you have been away from practice and whether you also need to be readmitted to part one or two of the NMC register (as a registered nurse or midwife). The courses are flexible, usually taking between six months to a year to complete. Find out more at the South East Clinical Networks website.