School Vaccination Program: for parents and carers

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ On this page

1. About the School Vaccination Program
2. How to give consent for vaccination
3. What vaccines are given and when
4. What to expect after vaccination
5. What to do if your child has a reaction
6. If your child missed their vaccination
7. If your child has disability
8. If your child attends an Intensive English Centres (IECs)
9. If your child attends distance education or is home-schooled

About the School Vaccination Program

NSW Health works with schools to offer the vaccines recommended and funded for adolescents by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) in a school-based vaccination program, including:

• diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis (dTpa)
  
• human papillomavirus (HPV)
  
• meningococcal ACWY.

COVID-19 vaccination is not part of the NSW School Vaccination Program. For information about COVID-19 vaccination visit COVID-19 vaccination booking.​

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How to give consent for vaccination

Consent for each vaccine must be provided by parents / guardians for students to receive free vaccinations at school.

Parents and carers can provide consent online. Select login with Service NSW Account.

To provide online consent you will need:

1. your Service NSW log-in details
2. Medicare card details for you and your child.

If you or your child do not have a Medicare card, consent can still be provided by requesting a paper-based consent form – available on request from schools.

Parents can withdraw consent at any time 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, or
• where consent has been given on the paper consent form, please write to or call the school to advise the student's name, school grade and those vaccines the withdrawn consent applies to.
  

What vaccines are given and when

Students in secondary schools in 2025 will be offered the following vaccines:

What to expect after vaccination

Some students may experience some mild and temporary side effects following vaccination this includes:

• headache and tiredness for a day or two
  
• slightly red, itchy or sore arm for a day or two
• a small lump at the injection site. This may last for a few weeks. This usually does not require any treatment.

What to do if your child has a reaction

• If allowed, take paracetamol for pain. Follow the directions on the packaging.
• Put a cold damp cloth on the injection site to relieve tenderness.
• Drink extra fluids.

If your child has an unexpected reaction that you are concerned about please contact your doctor or seek medical attention.

For more information refer to Following va​ccination - what to expect and what to do.

If your child missed their vaccination​

​​Parents of students who have completed consent but missed vaccination throughout the year will be sent a notification. The notification will advise parents their child was not vaccinated.

Every effort will be made to vaccinate students who have completed consent but missed vaccination throughout the year at subsequent school clinics. Where this is possible, parents will be advised of arrangements for catch-up vaccinations.

Where school immunisation teams have capacity, catch up clinics will be conducted in Year 8 and Year 11 for all the consents submitted the year before. 

Alternatively, free catch-up vaccines are available through local general practitioners (GPs), pharmacist immunisers and Aboriginal Medical Services (AMS). Please note the GP may charge a consultation fee.  

If your child has disability

​If your child has a physical or intellectual disability, or both, please read the ​Sch​​ool vaccination for students with physical and/or intellectual disabilities​ fact sheet for more information.

You can show your child this ​Easy read: I will get vaccines at school​​​​, to help explain to them what will happen and what to expect when they get their vaccination at school.

If your child is enroled in an Intensive English Centre (IEC)

New migrants (including refugees) attending Intensive English Centres (IECs) may not have received the vaccines that are routinely offered in Australia. Migrant students will be offered vaccines, depending on their age​.

Students who miss vaccine doses due to absence on the day of the clinic will be advised to receive any catch-up vaccination at their local GP or pharmacist immuniser.

Translated information about IEC vaccination is available in 28 languages.

All ages

15 to 19 year ​olds only

If your child attends distance education or is home-schooled

Students​ who are enroled 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) by calling1300 066 055.