PgDip Specialist Community Public Health Nursing (School Nursing)

PgDip Specialist Community Public Health Nursing (School Nursing)

Award

PgDip

Start Date

20/01/2025, 22/09/2025

Duration

53 weeks

Mode

Full-time

Location

University of Bolton

Are you seeking to train as a School Nurse and build the knowledge and skills to achieve your career ambitions? The University of Bolton's NMC-approved PgDip SCPHN (School Nursing) programme is delivered by our expert academic team working in partnership with several local practice organisations.

Apply Now Download Prospectus Programme Specification

Course Overview

The PgDip Specialist Community Public Health Nursing (SCPHN) (School Nursing) course offered by the University of Bolton is designed to provide you with a comprehensive overview of the School Nursing profession and equip you with the theoretical knowledge and practical skills needed to succeed in your career. Our SCPHN Health Visiting programme was the first in the country to be accredited by the UNICEF UK Baby Friendly Initiative (BFI), which recognises programmes that focus on supporting all families to develop close and loving relationships with their newborns and to understand the importance of this for their baby's development. BFI content is incorporated into the School Nursing Programme to enhance understanding of the importance of early relationships. We also provide training in the Solihull Parenting Approach, which supports practitioners in promoting emotional health and wellbeing in children and families.

Studying a course curriculum developed in line with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) standards of proficiency for specialist community public health nursing (2022), you'll cover subjects like sustainable population health, collaborative working for health improvement, advocating for children, young people and families at risk, early intervention for improving outcomes across the lifespan, synthesising the evidence-base for innovative specialist practice, and promoting mental health and wellbeing across the lifespan. You can also get hands-on and build your practical skills in partnership with us and our practice learning partners.

Upon successfully completing this course, you'll be awarded the Postgraduate Diploma in Specialist Community Public Health Nursing (School Nursing), and have your name registered as a Specialist Community Public Health Nurse (SN) on the NMC's professional register.

Highlights

Key Features

Entry Requirements

Where changes are made to material information contained in this course description or a decision is taken to suspend a course between the offer of admissions and enrolment, we will inform applicants at the earliest possible opportunity and will outline the various options available to the applicant.

Career Opportunities

This PgDip Specialist Community Public Health Nursing (School Nursing) course is designed to prepare practitioners for registration with the NMC as a Specialist Community Public Health Nurse (School Nurse). If you're a nurse or midwife and wish to further develop your career by working with children, young people, and their families to improve health, it should interest you.

School Nursing consists of developing, leading, and managing activities that aim to promote health and wellbeing, prevent health breakdown, and improve ill health through working with individuals, families, and communities. School Nurses seek to help individuals and families take control of their lives and protect vulnerable members of society by promoting social inclusion and reducing inequalities.

The course aims to help you gain a wide range of skills and supporting knowledge, including leadership, communication, enquiry, advocacy, critical reflection and analysis skills. We'll support you as you learn how to think, read and write critically about contemporary issues in order to become a flexible, autonomous and highly skilled practitioner.

What can I do with this qualification?

This course is designed to support the development of future School Nurses. As a successful graduate, you'll have your name and qualification registered on the NMC's professional register.

School Nurses are employed mainly by the NHS. School Nurses advocate for school-aged children and their families, providing early intervention to promote positive choices. The role involves collaborative working across a range of organisations including health and education.

Universities and other academic institutions employ experienced School Nurses to work as lecturers or tutors. Some School Nurses decide to go into clinical academic research, which is a fast-growing career pathway for healthcare workers. Types of clinical research programmes include master's in clinical research, clinical doctoral research fellowships and clinical lectureships.

Upon successfully completing the PgDip, you'll be eligible to progress to a top-up to MSc Community Public Health Nursing (top-up).

Alternative career options

Graduates can also use the qualification as a stepping-stone into a range of other careers. Some of these roles may require relevant experience and/or postgraduate study. Some possibilities include:

  • Children and families social work
  • Teaching and education
  • Research
  • Health Visiting
  • Voluntary sector
  • Health promotion
  • Health service management
  • Community development
  • Counselling
  • Mental health
  • Probation
Professional Recognition

The University of Bolton's PgDip Specialist Community Public Health Nursing (Health Visiting) programme is approved by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC).

After successful completion of the course, you'll have your name registered on part 3 of the NMC's professional register.

Fees & Funding

Home/EU Fees

No fee information is currently available, please contact the University of Bolton’s Academic Fees team by emailing AcademicFees@bolton.ac.uk for more information.

International Fees

No fee information is currently available, please contact the University of Bolton’s Academic Fees team by emailing AcademicFees@bolton.ac.uk for more information.

Bursaries

Click here for more information on our Master's Bursaries.

Important note regarding tuition fees for the 2024-25 academic year: EU nationals who meet residency requirements (have settled or pre-settled status) may be eligible for 'Home' fee status. If you do not meet these residency requirements, overseas fees will apply. Irish citizens living in the UK or Ireland will be eligible for 'Home' fee status under the Common Travel Area arrangement. Please read the student finance for EU students web page on www.gov.uk for information.

The fees for a student's course of study will be set for the normal duration of that course subject only to inflationary increases – measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI) recorded in March each year to take effect for subsequent start dates.

How to apply

Home Applicants

Please contact the programme leader for details of the application procedure. You can find their name, email address and phone number in the Programme Contacts section of this page.

International Applicants

Please contact the programme leader for details of the application procedure. You can find their name, email address and phone number in the Programme Contacts section of this page.

Teaching & Assessment

This course is split equally in terms of theoretical and practical learning. We'll expect you to attend timetabled lectures and other sessions, where we'll explore concepts and principles through presentations, discussions, and group work. We'll help you build on this core content in workshops and sessions incorporating simulation. We use a blended learning and teaching style, including online delivery and engagement where appropriate. You'll also need to complete self-guided learning, such as background reading and preparation for lessons. Our virtual learning environment is another tool you can use to your full advantage, with resources available 24/7.

You'll also attend seminars, where you'll have the opportunity to engage in group discussions and debates. Occasionally, we may ask you to lead the discussion or prepare a presentation. Group and one-to-one tutorials may also be arranged. These sessions can be used to discuss your development and any issues you may have.

Several assessment strategies will be used to measure your progress and ensure you're meeting the expected learning outcomes. These techniques include essays, practice-based assessments, portfolio entries, observed structured clinical examinations (OCSEs), time-constrained examinations, and a viva voce. At the beginning of the course, you'll be given access to a module handbook where you can find out more about the assessments specific to each module.

Modules

The modules listed below may be a mixture of compulsory and optional. You may not have the opportunity to study all the modules shown as part of the course.

  • Synthesising The Evidence-Base For Innovative Specialist Practice
  • Sustainable Population Health Across The Life Span
  • Professional Practice and Compassionate Leadership in School Nursing
  • Early Intervention For Improving Outcomes Across the Lifespan
  • Advocating For Children, Young People and Families at Risk
  • Promoting Mental Health and Wellbeing Across the Lifespan

Assessment methods

Level Assessment method
Level 1 Coursework 55%
Practical exams 37%
Written exams 8%

Learning Activities

Level Activity
Level 1 Guided independent study 38%
Placement/study abroad 50%
Scheduled learning and teaching activities 12%

The university will use all reasonable endeavours to deliver your course as described in its published material and the programme specification for the academic year in which you begin your course. The university considers changes to courses very carefully and the university will minimise any changes. Please be aware that our courses are subject to review on an ongoing basis and changes may be necessary due to legitimate staffing, financial, regulatory and academic reasons. The content of course modules and mode of associated assessments may be updated on an annual basis. This is to ensure that all modules are up-to-date and responsive to employment and sector needs. The published course material and the programme specification contain indicative ‘optional modules’ that may be subject to change due to circumstances outside of our control. For this reason, we cannot guarantee to run any specific optional module.

Postgraduate Options

Programme Contacts

Help Centre

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Part of the University of Bolton Group

Bolton college
Alliance learning
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QQA Scheme Participant

Help Centre

We have the answers to your questions, find all the advice and support in one place.

Part of the University of Bolton Group

Bolton college
Alliance learning
Anderton centre2
QQA Scheme Participant