Download the guide now
School-based vaccination programs are a key part of protecting student health and preventing the spread of serious diseases like whooping cough (pertussis), Human papillomavirus (HPV), and meningococcal disease.
By delivering vaccines in a familiar and accessible environment, these programs help protect adolescents from serious diseases. This is particularly important for adolescents who may not regularly access routine healthcare. The SVP is free, safe, and supported by NSW Health under the National Immunisation Program (NIP). The SVP helps maintain high immunisation rates, reduce illness-related absences, and protect the wider school community.
Support from schools in facilitating these programs is essential to their success.
Vaccination will only be provided at school if parent/guardian consent has been received.
A PHU or CHC vaccination team member will contact your school to arrange suitable clinic dates. As they support many schools, your assistance in confirming dates promptly is appreciated. Nominate a staff member as the primary contact and share their details with the vaccination team. This person will coordinate:
Regular communication between your school’s primary contact and the vaccination team is important to minimise disruption to the school and to streamline the vaccination sessions.
If you need extra paper consent packs, contact your local PHU/CHC team by calling 1300 066 055.
Review During the vaccination clinic so you can arrange relevant equipment and know what to expect on the day.
To ensure a smooth vaccination day, please share key details with staff, students, and families.
Notify relevant class teachers of the date, time, and location of the clinic. Update the school calendar and ensure all staff are aware of any changes.
Share clinic details with parents/carers of Year 7 and Year 10 students via:
Include clear instructions on how to provide consent through the NSW Health School Vaccination Program online consent portal.
Send vaccine and consent information to students via email so they can discuss vaccination with their parents/carers ahead of the day. Encourage students to:
Distribute parent information early, including to special education students.
If using platforms like School Bytes, Compass, or Canvas, make it clear to parents that consent must be provided via the NSW Health School Vaccination Program online consent portal.
To avoid confusion:
Parents can access translated resources in translated in 28 languages.
Hard copy Parent Information and Consent Packs can be provided for:
School staff must collect signed paper consent forms and return them to the vaccination team.
Vaccination will only be provided at school if consent has been received.
To learn more about the NSW School vaccination program, parents, students and schools can watch a short video Information about the NSW School Vaccination Program.
Additionally, a step-by-step video guide is available on the NSW Health webpage How to Provide Consent. Both videos are translated into 15 other languages.
To complete online consent, parents/carers need to visit the School Vaccination Program online consent portal
For online consent, parents/carers will need:
If parents do not have a Service NSW account, they can create one by visiting How to create a Service NSW account or by phoning Service NSW on 13 77 88, Monday to Friday, between 7am and 7pm. Accessibility, interpreter, and translation services are available at this number.
Benefits of online consent for parents/carers:
When parents and carers first log into the online consent platform, it should look like the images below:
From the NSW Health link, select Service NSW Account. The Service NSW login page will display.
Note: If parents do not have a Service NSW account, they can visit MyServiceNSW to register.
On the login web page, parents will need to type their Service NSW account details:
Late paper consent forms (received the week of the clinic) should be held by the school and handed directly to the vaccination team on the day of the clinic.
Parental or guardian consent is required for students to receive routine vaccinations. Consent can be provided:
Schools are kindly asked to bring all students from the relevant year group to the clinic in stages to support efficient delivery.
If a student indicates that their parent/carer would like them to be vaccinated, an authorised nurse immuniser may:
Parents can withdraw consent before the vaccination clinic.
If consent is provided online, parents can log in to the secure NSW Health portal and follow the prompts to withdraw consent. If consent was provided on a paper form, or if withdrawal is within 24 hours of the clinic, parents must contact the school directly either by phone or by writing. They should provide:
Schools are encouraged to use the “Proforma for schools” to notify the Director of the Public Health Unit of any withdrawals of consent.
The vaccination team will arrive at the school’s front office/reception at a pre-arranged time (usually between 8:30 and 9:00 AM) to sign in and set up.
The team will bring all necessary clinical supplies and consumables and will take them when they leave.
The school is responsible for providing a suitable space for the clinic. The room should be:
The room should also include:
To ensure everything runs smoothly, schools are asked to support the vaccination team with the following:
Consider providing distractions such as music, movies, or books to help students feel more at ease before and after vaccination.
Assign staff to supervise students in the recovery area. Students must remain seated for 15 minutes after their vaccination. No special training is required for this role.
Ensure the recovery area is close to the clinic so the vaccination team can respond quickly if needed.
The exit route from the recovery area should be separate from the waiting area to avoid congestion and maintain a calm environment.
If a student feels faint or nauseous:
If a student experiences discomfort at the injection site, applya cold cloth or ice pack to the area.
If the situation requires further care, follow your school’s standard medical procedures.
If it is urgent, call NSW Ambulance (000) and then contact the student’s parents or legal guardian.
The vaccination team is trained to manage medical emergencies and will remain on-site for at least 15 minutes after the last student is vaccinated. They will ensure all students are well before leaving.
A contact phone number for the vaccination team will be provided to the school for any follow-up queries or concerns.
Parents of students who provided consent but did not receive their vaccination will be notified that their child was not vaccinated.
Where possible, students who missed out will be offered catch-up vaccinations at future school clinics. Parents will be informed of any arrangements made for these sessions.
Where capacity allows, PHUs or CHC immunisation teams may run catch-up clinics in Year 8 or Year 11 for students who submitted consent the previous year. Alternatively, students can receive free catch-up vaccines through:
This is an example of a checklist. Please discuss with your local PHU/CHC SVP coordinator.
Available in the NSW Health School Vaccination Program- A guide for schools
School vaccination flyer
[Insert school crest and details]
Dear <name of the Director of the Public Health Unit or delegate>,
<Name of school> has received a withdrawal of consent from a parent/guardian for the school vaccination program.
The withdrawal of consent was received on <date> for <student name> in <year group>.
Consent is withdrawn for the <name of vaccine>.
Yours sincerely,
<Name of Principal>
<Signature of Principal>
<Date>