The recommendation was made by England's chief nursing officer, Sarah Mullally, and comes in the wake of the findings of her review of nursing, midwifery and health visiting services for vulnerable children and young people, which was published last month.
Ms Mullally proposed that school nurses would be in a good position to spot health problems, such as obesity, in very young children. They would also be well placed to keep an eye on child protection concerns.
But a Department of Health spokesperson said it would be up to PCTs and Strategic Health Authorities to work with Children's Trusts to determine the local need for nurses. She added that this need might vary between rural areas and urban areas, where there are traditionally more children per school.
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