Background: The role of the school nurse is complex with many possible elements identified by previous research.\nThe aim of this study is to understand perceptions of the role of the school nurse in order to support school nurses\nin the delivery of health education.\nMethods: The study used an inductive, qualitative research design involving semi-structured interviews and focus\ngroups. Participants were recruited from four NHS trusts across England and final sample size was thirty one school\nnurses. Three focus groups and two interviews took place in person, and three interviews were over the phone.\nData was thematically analysed.\nResults: School nurses described six main themes. Four themes directly related to the school nurse role: the main\nroles of a school nurse, school nurses' role in health education, prioritisation of workload and activities, and\ncommunity work. A further two other themes related to the delivery of health education: the school nursing\nsystem and educational resources.\nConclusions: The role of the school nurse in England is very diverse and the school nurse role in health education\nis primarily to advise and support schools, rather than to directly deliver education. The study identified that\ntailored public health educational resources are needed to support school nurses.
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