Immunisation and your child
The department supports the immunisation of children before they enter preschool and kindergarten in NSW public schools to protect them against outbreaks of infectious diseases.
For information around COVID vaccinations for school students, please visit the Covid-19 Advice for families website.
Preschool enrolment and immunisation
Preschools cannot enrol a child unless the parent/carer has provided documentation that shows that the child:
- is fully vaccinated for their age, or
- has a medical reason not to be vaccinated, or
- is on a recognised catch-up schedule if their child has fallen behind with their vaccinations.
This is a requirement of the Public Health Amendment (Review) 2017.
School enrolment and the Immunisation History Statement
When enrolling a child in a NSW public primary or secondary school, parents/carers will be asked to provide an Immunisation History Statement.
A child without an Immunisation History Statement will not be prevented from enrolling. Under the NSW Public Health Act, however, children without proof of immunisation may be asked by Public Health Officials to stay at home during an outbreak of vaccine preventable disease.
NSW School Vaccination Program
NSW School Vaccination Program
NSW Health works in partnership with high schools to offer the vaccines recommended and funded for adolescents by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) as part of the NSW School Vaccination Program.
In addition, NSW Health visits Intensive English Centres (IECs) and offers newly arrived migrants (including refugees) routine vaccinations recommended under the Nation Immunisation Program.
Students who are enrolled in distance education or who are home-schooled are advised to attend their GP, pharmacist immuniser, or other immunisation provider for free age-appropriate vaccinations.
For more information about the NSW School Vaccination Program in your area contact your local Public Health Unit (PHU) or by call 1300 066 055.
Consent for school vaccination
Public Health Units contact principals to discuss arrangements for implementing the NSW School Vaccination Program clinics at the school.
Consent for each vaccine must be provided by parents/guardians for students to receive vaccinations at school. Only students who have signed consent by their parent/legal guardian will be vaccinated. Students aged 18 years and over may sign the consent form for themselves.
Public Health Units work with schools to distribute information about the vaccines, the diseases they protect against, and information on how to provide consent. Parents/guardians can provide consent online through an online consent portal. If students and their parents/guardians do not have a Medicare card, consent can still be provided by a paper-based consent form. These can be requested and distributed to schools.
More information on how to provide online consent for parents is available on the NSW Health webpage: Providing consent for your child to receive a vaccination at school.
Information on the NSW School Vaccination Program.
Requirements for schools to notify NSW Health of a vaccine preventable disease
Principals must contact the local Public Health Unit on 1300 066 055 to notify any of the following vaccine preventable diseases:
- Diphtheria
- Haemophilus influenza Type b (Hib)
- Measles
- Meningococcal disease
- Mumps
- Pertussis (whooping cough)
- Polio
- Rubella (German measles)
- Tetanus
Notifying cases of these vaccine preventable diseases to the Public Health Unit by the school principal is a requirement of the NSW Public Health Act 2010.