Pastoral Health: Supporting School Nurses in Girls’ Schools

This annual webinar designed for school nurses, medical centre staff and counsellors will be led by Alice Beard, Health and Wellbeing Lead at Sherborne Girls and Claire Baseley, registered Nutritionist who has a degree in biological science from Oxford University and a Masters of Medical Sciences in Human Nutrition. The theme of the webinar will be ‘Supporting pupils with Disordered Eating‘ and delegates have the unique opportunity to ask questions and discuss amongst colleagues.

Alice will cover the role of the school nurse in identifying and supporting pupils with disordered eating within an educational setting. It will outline early indicators and behaviours of concern, approaches to monitoring and documentation, and the process for escalation in line with safeguarding policies and communication with the Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL). The session will also explore signposting to appropriate health and mental health services, collaborative development of care and support plans, and the safe management of exercise and activity. Particular consideration will be given to the boarding environment, the importance of multidisciplinary communication, and the wider impact of disordered eating on peers and staff, reinforcing the nurse’s pivotal role in promoting a safe, compassionate, and well-informed school community.

Claire will present on how to establish a healthy relationship with food – understanding appetite and why we eat; challenging food rules and eating more flexibly; the language we use around food and our bodies.