Support from the school nurse | Bradford Families and Young Persons

Who are we?

Bradford District Care Trust School Nursing team consists of school nurses, staff nurses, community nursery nurses and healthcare support workers and are part of the wider 0-19 Family Health services across the Bradford District. We see children who attend mainstream and special needs schools throughout their school lives. Children who do not have a school place or are waiting for one also come under the care of our School Nursing teams.

What services can a school nurse provide?

We share information about healthy lifestyles and offer support to children and families at times when extra help is needed. This includes help with emotional difficulties and coping with long-term health conditions.

We also provide support, advice and signposting on a range of health issues that can affect a child or young person. These may include:

emotional and mental health issues
healthy eating and weight management
continence issues
immunisation advice and administration
support for young carers
health conditions requiring medication in school, and
toilet training workshops for children with additional needs

We work with a range of different people like the school, GP, or other health and social care professionals.

Where needed and in agreement with a child or young person and their parents or carers (depending on their age), we can make a plan of care which may include school, signposting to information for you or completing a referral.

When will the school nurse be in touch?

The school nursing service has contact with children, young people and families at different stages. This may be a routine assessment of health needs or to provide additional support when needed. We will ask you to complete an online questionnaire about your child’s health and wellbeing. Once you have completed this, we may contact you to discuss your child’s health. You and your child will also complete a further questionnaire in year six.

The Special Needs School Nursing team will complete a health assessment with you once your child’s special school place is confirmed. These assessments are regularly reviewed and updated.

The team also provides health information in schools to class groups or individuals and have a separate School Nursing Immunisation team who come into schools as part of the national immunisation programme.

For more information

For more information visit the BDCT School Nursing Team website

If your child has a health issue and you want to discuss it with the school nursing team, please get in touch using the telephone numbers below. We are available between 8.30am and 5.00pm, Monday to Friday not including bank holidays. If you need help outside these hours, you should contact the local service that usually provides out-of-hours support like your pharmacy, or for more urgent queries, 111.

School nursing team: 01274 221203

School Immunisation team: 01274 221269

Special Needs School Nursing Team: 01274 251440

If your child is in school, you can also discuss your concerns with your child’s class teacher who can complete a referral form to the school nursing teams.

Our Family Health Services website Better Lives, Healthy Futures has lots of helpful information you can trust, produced by the School Nursing teams and other health and wellbeing experts to support parents and carers of school age children.

You can also download the accessible NHS leaflet "Information for parents and carers about the School Nursing, School Immunisation and Special Needs School Nursing teams":

Download NHS School Nursing leaflet

Did you know?

That the school nursing team regularly provide appointments from our family hubs which are based in the local community.

For more information and to see the timetables across the Bradford District, see our Family Hubs pages.