Children & Young Peoples Services

Immunisation Team

Children & Young Peoples Services

Edward Jenner Court

1010 Pioneer Avenue

Gloucester Business Park

Brockworth

Gloucester

GL3 4AW

Tel: 0300 421 8206

Dear Head Teacher

Re: Implementation of the Childhood Flu Immunisation Programme within Primary Schools in Gloucestershire.

Gloucestershire Care Services Immunisation Team will be delivering the Childhood Flu Programme within primary schools in Gloucestershire from September 2017. The Immunisation Team is already accustomed to working closely with Gloucestershire Secondary schools delivering school aged immunisation programmes.

The flu immunisation programme is being extended nationally to include children in Reception, years 1, 2, 3 and 4 within schools from September 2017. The vaccine is given via a nasal spray (not an injection) and will be delivered by trained nurses in the school setting.

There is evidence from the implementation of other immunisation programmes that schools-based immunisation programmes provide a very effective means of reaching and delivering important health programmes to school-aged children, ensuring good uptake.

The flu season starts in October and continues until February; however we are anticipating that children will be vaccinated within the autumn term and by mid-December. Children are “super spreaders” of the flu virus, and can spread the virus to many vulnerable people. Extending the programme to healthy children not only lowers the potentially serious impact of influenza on those children, but helps interrupt the transmission of the virus to others.

As you are aware poor attendance can significantly affect achievement and it is expected that the flu programme will improve attendance rates for this group of children and their siblings due to avoidance ofcross transmission. It is also anticipated that staff will be protected against circulating flu viruses following the introduction of the programme.

We appreciate that delivering the flu immunisation programme through schools will involve children being away from lessons for a brief period of time, however, the vaccination itself only takes a few minutes.

The flu immunisation programme itself can be useful in delivering the curriculum for science and PHSE and there are a number of free resources available to support these activities. The programme may also be used to provide evidence for Ofsted guidance in promoting fundamental British values, through the contribution of improving public health to the wider community, such as elderly and vulnerable people.

Gloucestershire is a huge county, the immunisation team have approximately 300 schools to visit in a 10 week period, to ensure they deliver the childhood flu immunisation programme throughout the county within the optimal delivery period of October to December.

Please see the attached schedule for the proposed vaccination session date we have scheduled to visit your school. We would be very grateful if you could make every effort to accommodate our proposed date as we have minimal scope to offer an alternative date due to the short period of time available to ensure optimal programme delivery.

In readiness for the flu immunisation sessions within your school, may we request the following important information to be sent via email to

1)Could you please confirm or decline the proposed date we have offered for immunisation delivery within your school?

2)The name and contact details including email address of a designated point of contact within your school for the immunisation team to contact for planning and communication of scheduled flu immunisation sessions?

3)Could you please let us know the maximum amount of children in each year group within your school as below?

4)To ensure the immunisation nurse can access the child’s consent form /vaccination record at an immunisation session within your school –

• Do you have Wi-Fi?
• Would access to this, by the immunisation team be granted in the allocated room for the delivering of the immunisation session within your school?

If you have any immediate queries, please do not hesitate to contact the Gloucestershire School Aged Immunisation Team on 0300 421 8206. We look forward to working with you.

There are useful links below for your information and resources to enable you to commence planning for the childhood flu programme in your school.Please also find attached a useful document by Public Health England: Immunising Primary School children against flu – for head-teachers and school staff.

Yours Faithfully

Immunisation Team

Gloucestershire Care Services NHS Trust

Useful Links:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/614527/Flu_advice_for_headteachers.pdf

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/613471/Protecting_your_child_against_flu_leaflet.pdf