It is important to vaccinate students against serious diseases. The World Health Organisation estimates that immunisation currently prevents 2-3 million deaths every year (source).
On-time vaccination throughout childhood is essential because it helps provide immunity before children are exposed to potentially life-threatening diseases. Vaccines are tested to ensure that they are safe and effective for children to receive at the recommended ages.
Not only are vaccinations important to protect individuals from the disease, they also protect others who may be immunocompromised and at risk of more serious complications from being infected, or are unable to be vaccinated due to health conditions. There are staff and students at our school with existing conditions that compromises their immunity against these life-threatening diseases.
Students that are not immune to the following preventable diseases will need to stay at home during an outbreak (click on the disease name for more information from NSW Health)
- chicken pox and shingles
- diphtheria
- gastroenteritis
- influenza
- measles
- meningococcal
- mumps
- pertussis (whooping cough)
- poliomyelitis (polio)
- rubella (German measles)
- tetanus
We are required by law to report any cases of these vaccine-preventable diseases (NSW Public Health Act 2010).
If you are considering preventing your child from vaccination, please read the NSW Health factsheet.
School Vaccination Program
Each year NSW Health works in partnership with schools to offer the vaccines recommended by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) for adolescents as part of the school vaccination program.
Students in Years 7 and 10 will need to bring their signed consent form to receive a free vaccine at school.
Vaccines available:
Year 7:
- Human papillomavirus (HPV)
2 doses at least 6 months apart - Diptheria-Tetanus-Petussis (whopping cough)
Single dose
Year 10:
- Meningococcal ACWY
Single dose
Please note that, to improve vaccination completion, students will be opportunistically offered any missed doses during Year 7 or 8 (for HPV and dTpa vaccination) and during Year 10 or 11 (for Meningococcal ACWY vaccination).
Find out more about the NSW School Vaccination Program on the NSW Health website.
You can watch these videos on the specific vaccine and what to expect on the day:
https://www.health.gov.au/resources/collections/vaccination-videos-for-high-school-students
You might want to know what is in vaccines:
https://www.health.gov.au/sites/default/files/what-is-in-vaccines_0.pdf
Parents/guardians who wish to withdraw their consent for any reason may do so by writing to the school Principal or phoning the school.
A Record of Vaccination will be provided to each student vaccinated at each clinic either as a physical card or a text message sent to the mobile number recorded on the consent form. Details about vaccinations given at school will also be uploaded to the Australian Immunisation Register (AIR) to support complete vaccination histories.