Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of (a) primary and (b) secondary schools have a (i) school nurse, (ii) healthy lifestyles coach and (iii) equivalent health worker.

In November 2021, the latest available information, 49 (0.3%) state funded primary schools and 266 (8.1%) state funded secondary schools in England employed at least one person whose role was reported as ‘nurse’.

Please note that the figures provided are based on staff roles as reported by the school, and as such ‘nurse’ may not necessarily indicate a qualified specialist community public health nurse. School nurses play a pivotal role in supporting schools to meet this duty, but they will not be the only healthcare professionals available to help schools in supporting their pupils.

The information requested on the number and proportion of (a) primary schools and (b) secondary schools that have a (i) healthy lifestyles coach and (ii) equivalent health worker is not held centrally.

Information on the state funded school workforce in England, including the number of support staff employed by schools each November, is published in the annual ‘School Workforce in England’ national statistics release at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-workforce-in-england.