The Royal Marsden has been passionate about sharing its knowledge of cancer for over 150 years. It is this passion and commitment which led to the establishment of The Royal Marsden School, originally set up as the School of Cancer Nursing and Rehabilitation.

The School was initially created in 2002. Its primary function was to share and develop the knowledge and expertise of nurses working in cancer care at The Royal Marsden.

Since then, the range of people coming to learn at the School has expanded to include all health professionals, volunteers, and health care support workers. These people work not only at The Royal Marsden, but in other NHS Trusts, private hospitals, primary care settings, and the voluntary sector from across London, the UK, and beyond.  

Over the last 20 years, 738 cancer professionals have graduated from the School. With 3674 learners studying at Level 7, and 7268 learners at Level 6.

The School has also increased the number and type of courses that it delivers, to include non-cancer-specific courses, and courses aimed at staff working in the community. These include new undergraduate and postgraduate programmes, stand-alone modules, study days for developing practical skills, such as improving communication, and bespoke staff-training packages. 

An important objective for the coming year is to extend our reach and deliver education about cancer further afield while continuing to develop professional networks and undertake research and evaluation to demonstrate the impact of the education delivered at the Royal Marsden School.