England is the only UK country to set targets on increasing schoolnurses. In 2004, the Government said every secondary school and clusterof primary schools would have a full-time qualified nurse by 2010.
Each school nurse currently works with 14 schools, according to theRoyal College of Nursing. And government figures from September 2005show that there were 2,887 school nurses, with 943 holding a specificschool nursing qualification.
However, access to nurses varies across England. The white paperChoosing Health, the children's national service framework and the chiefnursing officer's review all promote nurses' wider role, attempting toget away from the "nit nurse" label.
SCOTLAND
Scotland will not commit itself to a target on the number of schoolnurses needed, insisting it is a matter for local NHS boards. Figuresfrom September 2005 show there are only 305 full-time equivalent nursesin Scotland.
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