In June I met with the CEO of the Welsh Independent Schools Council (WISC) to discuss opportunities to support school nursing staff working in independent schools in Wales.
There’s a large community of around 90 independent schools across Wales, including a number of Special Educational Needs (SEN) schools. The WISC is the conduit for the Welsh government and Estyn, the education and training inspectorate for Wales, and we look forward to continuing the conversation with them.
I also attended the NHS school nurses meeting and discussed with the commissioners for health education in Wales the possibility for school nurses in the independent health and social care (IHSC) sector to access the online training that is currently supplied to the NHS school nursing sector. Watch this space!
My colleague, Pam Penman, was also delighted to able to visit Sarah Morgan, a school nurse at Cardiff Sixth Form College, at the medical centre in the boarding house in the centre of Cardiff. Pam said it was fantastic to see first-hand what a vital and varied role the school nurse is in that setting. From treatment of acute illnesses, along with administering over the counter and prescribed medications to students and a clear focus on the mental health and wellbeing, it was obvious that every day is different.
What was really visible when catching up with Sarah was her passion to support the children and young people, and her positive relationship with them was clearly making a difference in a key time of their lives.
Are you a school nurse working in an independent school in Wales? I’d love to hear from you and discuss how I can support you. Send me an email.
