The School Nursing Service
The school nursing service is made up of school nurses who are registered nurses with additional specialist training or experience in Public Health and working with children of school age. On an annual basis, they provide health assessments and screening (hearing and vision tests) for reception children and height and weight checks in Reception and Year 6.
The school nurse leads a team of staff nurses and assistants who work with education, health and other professionals and are available to provide a confidential service for your child(ren) on health issues such as:
- growth and development
- healthy eating
- weight management
- behaviour issues
- feelings and emotions
- continence
- personal hygiene
- dental
- bed wetting
- sleep
- additional health and support needs
- referral on to other services for specialist help
Please contact the school and speak to Miss V Tuart, our SEND/Inclusion Manager or Mrs Cox, our Family Support Worker if you would like to be referred to the Nursing Team about any of the issues listed above.
Nasal Flu Vaccination Programme
The School Nursing Team facilitate the flu vaccination programme in the Autumn Term. The vaccine is a needle-free vaccination given as a nasal spray up each nostril to protect children against seasonal flu. Parents/cares of children with children (Reception to Year 6) will be asked if they wish their child to receive the vaccination. Some children with underlying conditions may have already obtained the vaccine from their GP.
Our School First Aid Team
We currently have nine fully qualified first aiders, two of which are paediatric first aid trained. Additional training is provided by the school nurse to tailor the medical and / or dietary needs of pupils e.g., asthma, epilepsy, EpiPen on an annual basis. Mrs Cox, our Family Support Worker, has also received a first aid qualification as part of her Forest School training.
A defibrillator has been purchased through fundraising efforts and is located in our school office.
NHS Useful Links
- Dental Care – advice on teeth cleaning routines for children and visits to the dentist.
- Prevention of Headlice – advice about the detection and treatment of headlice in children.
- Hand Foot and Mouth – advice about the detection and treatment of hand foot and mouth.
- Little orange book – contains advice and tips how to manage common illnesses and problems that babies and young children often experience in the first 5 years of their lives.
- Immunisations – advice on the vaccines available in the UK and an explanation on how they work and their importance.
- Healthy Start Scheme – advice how pregnant woman or parents/carers under the age of 4, may be entitled to get help to buy healthy food or milk.
- Bedwetting – advice on the causes and how to support your child bedwetting at home.
Support Services
- MIND Mental Health Information – information for parents / carers and family members who are supporting a young person with their mental health and wellbeing.
- Public Health, Guidance of Infection and controls – provides infection control advice, immunisations and exclusion periods from school or nursery settings.
- Gateshead Health Provision – information about the Health Care Services available in Gateshead.
- 0-19 Growing Healthy – 0-19 service is an integrated service for families, expectant mothers, children and young people that offers interventions from the pre-natal stage up to the age of 19.