What the job entails: School nurses look after the health of students in schools. In some schools they are called matrons. School nurses do many different things. These include doing health checks on students at various stages of their school life. The school nurse checks their sight and hearing, and makes sure they are growing properly. Sometimes they give talks to groups of students. They cover topics like healthy eating, keeping fit, sexual health, and smoking. Routes and choices while at school: You have to do a nursing or midwifery degree to qualify in this job. So at GCSE you will need grade C or 5 or better in English language, maths and science. The higher the grades you get, the more choice you will have when you apply to university. To get a place on some nursing and midwifery degree courses you will need a science subject at A-level or equivalent. Biology, chemistry, human biology, and health and social care are the most relevant. Bear this in mind when choosing your GCSE options. Pay: Pay when starting is about £22,000 to £26,000 per year. When experienced, it is about £26,000 to £32,000. For experts with a lot of experience, pay can rise to £35,000 or more. If you have any careers queries or would like to discuss any aspects of careers in more detail, please see Mrs Halford at Student Services.