School immunisation program

Queensland’s School Immunisation Program (SIP) provides secondary school students in Year 7 and 10 with the opportunity to be protected from vaccine-preventable diseases by receiving free immunisations. This program is part of the National Immunisation Program.

The Public Health Act 2005 requires school principals to disclose student and parent information to approved school immunisation providers, to allow them to:

• reconcile returned consent form for the School Immunisation Program against eligible students
• follow-up with parents of students who have not returned a consent form to offer them the opportunity to participate in the School Immunisation Program, and
• assist families to resolve concerns about their child’s immunisation needs.

At the beginning of every school year, parents and guardians of Year 7 & 10 students will be sent an email with a unique code for each child so as consent can be provided via the online consent portal, along with disease information attached of what is being vaccinated against.

If a parent/guardian does not respond to the email, reminders will be sent to request a form be submitted. It is requested that all parents complete a consent form even if they do not want their child vaccinated at school as this allows us to confirm that the immunisation offer was received.

Year 7 students (or age equivalent)

Year 10 students (eligible 15 to 19 years of age inclusive)

Catch-up immunisation

For adolescents who miss the school immunisation clinic, catch-up is available from community immunisation clinics, GP’s, or other immunisation service providers.

For the combined Diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis immunisation, the Meningococcal ACWY immunisation and the Meningococcal B immunisation, adolescents are eligible for funded catch-up immunisations up to and including 19 years of age. Catch-up for the HPV immunisation is available for people aged 15 years to less than 26 years.

After the cut-off age for catchups, immunisations need to be purchased via private prescription.

Year 10

• Getting your meningococcal ACWY vaccination at school — what to expect

Year 7

• Getting your human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination at school – what to expect
• Getting your diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis (dTpa) vaccination at school — what to expect
• Getting your HPV & dTpa vaccinations at school – what to expect
• The HPV vaccine for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children
• HPV vaccine explained for parents and guardians