Guidance for applicants

We have a duty to ensure that trainee teachers studying with us, have the health and physical capacity to teach. Enrolment onto any programme of study leading to Qualified Teacher Status, is subject to a Health and Physical Capacity to Teach check. This allows the University to ensure we have everything in place to fully support you and ensure you have the best opportunity to succeed. Full details of the requirements a teacher must demonstrate are set out in the Education (Health Standards) (England) Regulations 2003. You can find our Health and Physical Capacity to Teach Policy for Applicants here.

Health and Physical Capacity to Teach check - how your information will be used

  • Lincoln County Hospital (United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust) are administering the Health and Physical Capacity to Teach checks for our prospective students.
  • Please use the link provided to access the electronic (online) NHS health questionnaire and complete the questionnaire before your enrolment. You will be asked to provide details of your past medical history and any current medical details. You will be given more information regarding how the NHS store and process your data and will be asked to provide consent.
  • Members of NHS staff within Lincoln County Hospital’s Occupational Health team, will assess the information from your questionnaire. They may need to contact you to arrange an appointment for an in-person assessment to be carried out.
  • Admissions staff at the University will track the progress of your Health and Physical Capacity to Teach check (by securely accessing the NHS system) and will have sight of the result of your check. The result will be defined as “Fit”, “Fit with Conditions” or “Not Fit”.
  • The University will not have access to the medical information you provide as part of the questionnaire.
  • If the outcome is ‘Fit with Conditions’ the university will also receive details of recommendations that are needed to support you; such as any reasonable adjustments. In order to put these in place, details of the recommendations may need to be shared securely with other University staff. Recipients would usually include Student Advice, Placement Services, and Teacher Development.
  • Once your Health and Physical Capacity to Teach check is complete, we will contact you to advise you of the outcome. If your Health and Physical Capacity to Teach check is satisfactory, your details will be updated in our Student Record System and the enrolment process will continue. Your details will be held for a period of time in line with the University’s retention schedule, after which they will be securely deleted/destroyed.

For full details as to how the University handles your personal data, including data sharing and your rights under data protection legislation, please see our Privacy Policy and our Privacy Notice for Students.

For full details as to how Lincoln County Hospital handles personal data, including data sharing, please see their Privacy Notice.

Information to assist you with completing the health questionnaire – please see the following glossary of terms.

Glossary of terms

The NHS health questionnaire, is geared for completion by prospective employees (people who have applied for a job with any organisation, where that role requires a Health and Physical Capacity to Teach check). This means that some of the wording used in the questionnaire, may not seem to apply to you. Here is a glossary of terms to assist you:

‘Pre-Placement’ and ‘pre-employment’ – please read as ‘pre-enrolment’

‘Work health assessment questionnaire’ – please read as ‘Health and Physical Capacity to Teach questionnaire’

‘Your employer’ or ‘Trust’ – please read as ‘the University’

‘Department/Ward’ – please read as ‘the University’ and your programme of study

‘Proposed post’ – please read as ‘proposed programme of study’

‘Work’ – please read as ‘duties as part of your studies and training’

‘Job’ – please read as ‘studies’

‘Post’ – please read as ‘University place’