Matrons & medical care

The children at Beeston are surrounded with care. This can be friends, school pets or teachers. It comes from mentors and tutors, from kitchen, catering and office staff – all part of the dedicated team and family that is Beeston. We make time to chat about the children in pastoral meetings, with the language for RULER to support this, building relationships and helping confidence. Several staff have the YMCA Mental Health First Aid qualification.

Central to this care is our school nurse and our matrons. They are on-hand for any medical issues and one will always be pitch-side during school matches.

There is a dedicated surgery and beside it a matrons’ room, which is an ideal resource when a quiet moment is needed, or a chat. We don’t shy away from difficulty or say ‘it’s just their age’, but we look proactively at what we can do to help and support.

Matrons are involved in every aspect of the children’s care so, whether overseeing weekend tuck, soothing aching limbs or overseeing teeth-cleaning and hair-washing, they see how the children are feeling. They are a key part of the holistic approach we take to the children’s education.

More than sufficient staff hold first aid certificates but, even so, there is an open-door policy and our school nurse is always on hand to offer advice, as well as medical intervention, should parents have health concerns about their children or wish to share information relevant to their health and wellbeing.

We balance clear, well-practised procedures alongside good communication and collaboration to ensure continuity of care so that pupils and staff feel comfortable about visiting our school surgery as and when they wish. The school doctor visits often and we are blessed with the newly-built Cromer Minor Injuries Unit 10 minutes away, opposite the surgery, with the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital 40 minutes’ drive away.