School Vaccination Program

From 2023, parents can provide consent for their child's school vaccinations online.

The South Eastern Sydney Public Health Unit works in partnership with high schools within the District to offer free vaccines recommended for adolescents by the National Health and Medical Research Council.

For students to be vaccinated, consent for each vaccine must be provided by the parent/guardian. Consent can be completed:

  • online on a secure NSW Health portal. Parents/guardians will need (1) a ServiceNSW account to log in to the NSW Health portal and (2) the Medicare numbers for both themself and the student. Parents/guardians can create an account with ServiceNSW if they don't already have one.
  • using a paper consent form - available on request from the school

Detailed guidance on how to provide online consent is available here. This is also available in Chinese (Simplified and Traditional), Arabic, Korean and Vietnamese.

Where it is not appropriate for a student to receive vaccinations at school, if they are in distance education, or home schooled, they are eligible for free vaccinations with their local general practitioner or pharmacy until they turn 20 years of age. Refugees and humanitarian entrants aged 20 years and over are also eligible for a number of free catch-up vaccinations.  

2023 School Program Schedule

Secondary schools 

Students in secondary schools in 2023 are being offered the following vaccines: 

Vaccine 

Year 

More Information 

Diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis (dTpa)  Boostrix 

What are diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis?  Information about dTpa vaccination 

Human Papillomavirus (HPV)  Gardasil9 

What is HPV?  Information about HPV vaccination.  Factsheet: Is HPV vaccine safe?  Study: 11 years of HPV vaccine safety 

Meningococcal ACWY  Nimenrix 

10 

What is meningococcal disease?  Information about meningococcal ACWY vaccination 

Students who miss vaccine doses due to absence on the day of the nurses' visit will be offered catch-up vaccination at subsequent school clinics. Where this is not possible, parents will be advised that free catch-up vaccine is available at their local GP or pharmacy. 

Parents who choose to wait for their child to be older before consenting to vaccination will be required to arrange for vaccination at their GP or pharmacy and may have to pay a consultation fee. More information is available about catch-up vaccination

Parents can withdraw consent before vaccination takes place. 

  • where consent has been given online, please log-in to the secure NSW Health portal and follow the prompts to withdraw consent. If you wish to withdraw consent within 24 hours of a scheduled clinic you will need to call the school.
  • where consent has been given on the paper consent form, please write or call the school to advise the student's name, school grade and those vaccines the withdrawn consent applies to.

Coverage rates for all vaccines offered to students in secondary schools are available. 

Information about the vaccinations is also available in 26 community languages

A video (Whatchya Gunna DO?) has been produced to raise awareness about the importance of immunisation for Aboriginal adolescents and their parents. 

 

Intensive English Centre (IECs) 

Newly arrived migrants (including refugees) attending Intensive English Centres (IECs) will be offered the following vaccines based on student age: 

All ages

Vaccine ​Consumer Medicines Information (CMI) More information
Hepatitis B ​Engerix-B What is hepatitis B?
Information about hepatitis B vaccination​
Diphtheria-Tetanus-Pertussis (dTpa) Boostrix What are diphtheriatetanus and pertussis?
Information about dTpa vaccination
Measles-Mumps-Rubella (MMR) Priorix What are measlesmumps and rubella?
Information about MMR vaccination
​Human ​Papillomavirus (HPV) (refugees) Gardasil9 ​What is HPV?
Information about HPV vaccination
Polio​​ (refugees) IPOL What is polio?
Information about polio vaccination

12 year olds only

Vaccine ​Consumer Medicines Information (CMI) More information
Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Gardasil 9 What is HPV?
Information about HPV vaccination

Less than 14 years of age

Vaccine ​Consumer Medicines Information (CMI) More information
Varicella (chicken pox) Varivax What is varicella?
Information about varicella vaccination

15-19 year olds only

Vaccine​​ ​Consumer Medicines Information (CMI)​ More information​
Meningococcal ACWY Nimenrix ​​​What is meningococcal disease?
Information about mening​ococcal ACWY vaccination

 

Distance education/home-schooled students 

Students who are enrolled in distance education or who are home-schooled are advised to attend their GP or pharmacy for free age-appropriate vaccinations. 

 

National Immunisation Program vaccines available in Pharmacies

National Immunisation Program vaccines can also be supplied and administered at pharmacies with trained immunisers, to adolescents who would be routinely offered vaccination in the NSW School Vaccination Program. 

National Immunisation Program vaccines in Pharmacies 

 

Immunisation Resources

All records of vaccination provided in the NSW School Vaccination Program are uploaded onto the Australian Immunisation Register (AIR). Please note, there may be some errors in records of vaccinations given before 2014. If you think your AIR record of school vaccinations is incorrect, please call the Public Health Unit on 9382 8333 and ask to speak to an immunisation nurse.  

To request your AIR Immunisation History Statement: 

  • Create a myGov account or log in 
  • Link your Medicare account in the Services menu 
  • Proceed to your Medicare Online Account 
  • Click on the Immunisation History banner and complete the declaration 
  • Download your Immunisation History Statement 

If you are a parent/guardian requesting records for your child who is aged 14 years or older follow this link for more information. 

Principals of primary and secondary schools must request that parents/guardians provide an approved immunisation certificate at enrolment that shows their child's immunisation status. While students can still be enrolled if an approved immunisation certificate is not provided, these children will be classified as unimmunised and may be excluded from school if there is an outbreak of a vaccine preventable disease at the school or if they come into contact with a person with a vaccine preventable disease.  

We are here to support school staff and to provide information to the general community. Please contact us if you have any queries or provide our details to any parent, guardian or student who has concerns or questions that you are unable to assist with.

Email  SESLHD-PublicHealth-SchoolProgram@health.nsw.gov.au
Phone  02 9382 8333 (Option 2)
Postal Address  Locked Bag 88, Randwick NSW 2031