Apprentice SCPHN - School Nurse

Job overview

**Interviews will be held on 3rd and 13th March 2026**

Location: Various locations across the geographical region- Darlington/Middlesbrough/Stockton/Durham

Contract: Fixed Term: 07-Sep-2026 to 03-Mar-2028

Hours: Full‑time

About the Role

We are delighted to offer an exciting opportunity for motivated and compassionate nurses or midwives to train as Specialist Community Public Health Nurses (School Nurse). This apprentice School Nurse  post provides a structured pathway into the School Nursing  profession, combining academic study with supervised practice in community settings.

You will join a supportive and experienced team committed to helping you develop the skills, knowledge, and confidence needed to qualify as a Band 6 School Nurse.

What You Can Expect

• Employment as a Apprentice School Nurse for the duration of the SCPHN (School Nurse) programme
• A high‑quality learning experience delivered in partnership with our University provider
• Practice placements within our School Nurse  teams
• Dedicated support from practice assessors, supervisors, and the wider service
• Opportunities to develop leadership, public health, and family‑centred practice skills

Main duties of the job

• To participate in all elements of the SCPHN apprenticeship  programme both theory and practice and ensure completion of all approved programme documentation and assessments which must be submitted within time scale.
• To take responsibility in organising planned tripartite and bipartite meetings with your Practice Assessor and Academic Assessor.
• To fully participate in the teaching strategies used by the Practice Assessor and Practice Supervisor
• To develop professional knowledge and competence, pertaining to School Nursing and relevant to safe standards of professional practice.
• To accurately record information within systmOne records understanding and documenting cumulative risk and auctioning appropriately. Records to be contemporaneous and recorded timely as per trust policy.
• Confidentiality to be maintained at all times. Access to electronic devised to be kept safe and stored as per trust policy.
• Under the supervision of the Practice Assessor or Practice Supervisor manage delegated workload/caseload and supervise staff if appropriate.
• To undertake nursing and public health duties under direct and indirect supervision of the Practice Assessor or Practice Supervisor.
• To act in accordance with all Trust policies.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Progression to Band 6

Upon successful completion of the SCPHN  apprenticeship programme and achievement of professional registration, you will be eligible to be offered a Band 6 School Nurse post. Band 6 posts are allocated based on available vacancies across the geographical region and may not be in the same locality where you trained.

Further information about Band 6 opportunities will be shared with you as you approach qualification.

Important Information About the Training Contract

This is a fixed‑term training post for the duration of the apprentice SCPHN programme. You are required to complete all academic and practice‑based elements within the University’s cohort timescales. Any extensions will be managed in line with NHSE Policy for Funding Extensions and in collaboration with the Trust and the University.

If you do not successfully complete the programme within the agreed timescales (including any approved extensions), the fixed‑term contract will end at the conclusion of the training period. In these circumstances, you would not be eligible to be offered a Band 6 SCPHN post. Any future employment with the Trust would require a separate application through the standard recruitment process.

Students will be aligned to a practice assessor in either Durham/Darlington/Middlesbrough/Stockton. The academic element of the course will be hosted by Teesside University.

As a School Nurse you can make a real difference to children, families and communities. You will play a fundamental role in the monitoring of child development, safeguarding children, preventing social exclusion and deprivation and tackling important public health issues, with responsibilities including home visits, running support groups for parents and working with a range of local children’s agencies and professionals

School Nurses have the opportunity to work flexibly in the community and are a crucial part of the healthcare team. It is a diverse role which involves being part of a wider team who provide you with support as you work to improve the health of local families.

Training

Teesside University, have undergone course approval in line with the new NMC Specialist Community Public Health Nursing Standards of Proficiency  and will be offering level 7 awards as a standard full-time 78 week course.

To be eligible to apply you will need to be a Registered Nurse or Midwife on parts 1 or 2 of the NMC register. You must also have a degree at 2.2 or above. The training is 37.5 hours full time with fixed annual leave dates, (no prebooked leave will be honoured).

Applicants must have English and Maths at grade C or level 4 or Key Skill Level 2 in Maths and English.

Applicants also need to have been resident in the UK for 3 years prior to the course start date in September unless they are in an exempt group.

Successful candidates will keep band and pay point (if Band 5 or 6) and accrue increment during training.

Students will be able to make use of Teesside University’s Recognition of Prior Learning (PRL) policy provided they meet the criteria for this.

Salary: Apprenticeship salary will be in line with apprenticeship rules.  If taking apprentice route, and currently working under Agenda for Change, you would remain on your current salary and still accrue your increment.

For further information about this role, please see the Job Description and Personal Specification attached.