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School age immunisations

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Flu vaccinations will start in September 2020

The school nursing team provide an immunisation service on behalf of NHS England. It’s important that your child gets their immunisations on time to give them the best protection. The service will monitor your child’s immunisation status throughout their school life, and will be able to give advice and support on immunisations.

To read about the types of vaccinations your child will get from reception age to year 11 go to NHS – Why vaccination is safe and important .

Injections in schools

VaccineYear GroupDelivery Timetable
InfluenzaPrimary age and Year 7September to December
Diphtheria, Tetanus and PolioYear 9January to March
Meningococcal ACWYYear 9January to March
Human Papilloma VirusFirst dose in Year 8 and Second dose in Year 9April to July

How to give consent or refuse an immunisation

Your child’s school will send you a link to the online consent form.

To submit consent go to schools immunisation consent.

You have up to three days before the scheduled immunisation session to submit the consent form. If you miss the submission deadline you’ll need to contact the Immunisation team to make an appointment at a catch up clinic.

You must have parental responsibility of the child to give or refuse consent. Submit one child’s details at a time, and use the same consent form link if you need to submit multiple childrens details.

Contact the team directly if your child does not attend school, is home educated or you’re having problems accessing the online form.

What happens if my child is absent?

Any children that miss their vaccinations in school either due to absence or refusal can be caught up in a community clinic setting. We aim to run catch-up clinics in each area in the school holidays. As long as there is a consent form for your child, with a contact number, we will contact you to offer a catch-up clinic appointment.

Vaccine information

The flu vaccine is given via a nasal spray that can protect children against four different strains of flu. Flu symptoms include fever, chills, aching muscles, headache, stuffy nose, dry cough and a sore throat lasting up to a week. Receiving the vaccine lowers the risk of catching flu, which can be easily caught in a school environment.

Who can have the vaccine?

The nasal flu vaccine will be offered each year to all children from Reception to Year 7, as well as all children in special schools. The vaccine contains live but weakened flu viruses that do not cause flu in children.

There are a few children who should avoid the nasal spray flu vaccine. The vaccine is not recommended for children who have:

  • a severely weakened immune system
  • severe egg allergy that has required hospitalisation
  • severe asthma that is being treated with steroid tablets or liquid
  • an allergy to any of the vaccine ingredients such as neomycin

Children unable to have the nasal spray vaccine for any of these health reasons may be able to have the injectable flu vaccine instead.

There is no alternative vaccine if you do not want the vaccine due to its ingredients.

When is the vaccine given?

Parents will be sent a link to the online consent form in September, and immunisation sessions will take place between October and December.

Find the immunisation session allocated to your child’s school. Primary School Session Dates (PDF, 96KB)

The Meningitis ACWY vaccine and the Diptheria, Tetanus, Polio (teenage booster) vaccine are delivered together. Your child will be offered both vaccines on the same day, given as one vaccine in each arm.

What is the Meningitis ACWY vaccine?

The Meningitis ACWY (also known as Men ACWY) vaccine is given by a single injection into the upper arm and protects against four different strains of the meningococcal bacteria that cause meningitis and blood poisoning (septicaemia): A, C, W and Y. Meningitis W disease, like all meningococcal infections, can come on suddenly and progress very quickly. The Meningitis W strain is particularly prevalent in teenagers and university students, so the vaccine is offered in Year 9 to ensure young people are protected.

All meningococcal infections can cause meningitis and septicaemia, but Men W can also cause other illnesses, such as pneumonia and joint infections (septic arthritis). Early symptoms of meningococcal disease can include:

  • severe headache
  • diarrheoa/vomiting
  • neck stiffness
  • severe muscle pain
  • fever
  • colds hands and feet
  • drowsiness, difficulty to wake up

Who can have the vaccine?

The Meningitis ACWY vaccine is currently offered to Year 9 students in school, alongside the 3-in-1 teenage booster vaccine. Information for the E-Consent system will go out to schools and consent forms will be filled in online. We aim to provide vaccination dates when the consent forms go out however this is not always possible if schools wish to change their date.

Information about the vaccination will be sent out from school, however, parents are encouraged to discuss the vaccination with their child.

For children that do not attend school and are home educated, an appointment can be provided at one of the community clinics across the borough. Please contact us to arrange this.

When is the vaccine given?

The Meningitis ACWY program is currently delivered between February and April. From September 2020, consent forms for all vaccination programmes will be completed using an online system. The information about this system will go out to schools and then be passed onto parents. We aim to provide vaccination dates when the consent forms go out however this is not always possible if schools wish to change their date.

What happens if my child misses the vaccine?

Should your child miss the vaccine on the day, either due to absence or refusal i.e. needle phobia or anxiety, we can invite them to a catch-up clinic. Providing there is a consent form for your child and a contact number, we will contact you to arrange a catch-up appointment. We aim to run catch-up clinics in all areas in the school holidays. If your child missed their Meningitis ACWY vaccine in Year 9, but they are still in school (Year 10 or 11), please contact us to book a clinic appointment.

Related websites

School nursing referral

Children’s flu vaccine overview

Public Health England – Protecting your child against flu

Related documents

Primary School Session Dates (PDF, 96KB)

Contact details

School Nursing, William Molson Centre, Kent Street, Grimsby, North East Lincolnshire, DN32 7DJ

Email: schoolnursingadvice@nelincs.gov.uk

Telephone: 01472 323660

Opening times: Monday to Friday 8:30am to 4:30pm, except bank holidays

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