School Vaccinations

The School Nursing Service visits schools to give both routine vaccines and the seasonal flu vaccine as part of their health promotion work. These immunisations are highly effective, safe and free.

In order to provide maximum protection, it’s important children and young people get their vaccinations on time and complete the course when more than one dose is required.

Parents and carers will be given consent forms before a child is vaccinated. Please make sure these are completed and returned to the school.

What vaccinations are given in school?

Flu

All school children in Wales, up to and including year 11, are eligible for the flu nasal spray vaccine in the autumn/winter.

A small number of children with specific health conditions or circumstances may be offered an injectable vaccine by their GP as an alternative.

The nasal spray vaccine is known as the live attenuated influenza vaccine or LAIV and goes by the brand name Fluenz Tetra.

It’s given as a quick squirt up each nostril.

It’s recommended as it has been shown to be more effective in children compared to the injectable inactivated flu vaccines.

It provides good overall protection against the flu and is expected to provide some cross protection against mismatched strains.

The vaccine contains weakened (attenuated) versions of the flu virus to create an immune response, but cannot give your child the flu.

Go to this page to view the 2022 school flu vaccine programme dates for Swansea.

Pupils will bring home consent forms which must be signed and returned to the school.

Years 8 and 9 (12-14 year olds)

Two doses of the HPV vaccine are given with a gap in between to girls and boys. This vaccine protects against cervical cancer and some other cancers, such as cancers of the head and neck.