The Secondary School Immunisation Program (SSIP) offers free vaccines as part of the National Immunisation each year to Year 7 and Year 10 students.
The dosing schedule for the HPV vaccine has changed from two doses to a single dose for most people from February 2023. The schedule has not changed for immunocompromised people.
There is a draft school newsletter in the Resources section below that further explains this change for schools to distribute to parents, and a social media resource pack for students, parents and the community that schools may also access.
Students will have the opportunity to receive the following vaccine:
| Vaccine | Year offered at school | Vaccine brand and information |
|---|---|---|
| HPV (human papillomavirus) | Year 7 | |
| Diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis (whooping cough) | Year 7 | More information on Diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis and available |
| Meningococcal ACWY | Year 10 |
Role of secondary schools
Secondary schools together with their local council immunisation service, and deliver vaccine programs to secondary school students.
The role of schools is to:
- communicate with students and parents or guardians, teachers, and the wider school community about adolescent immunisation
- appoint a school immunisation coordinator to liaise with the council immunisation service
- support the distribution and collection of all immunisation consent forms
- send student and parent or guardian information to the council as permitted by the Public Health and Wellbeing Regulations
- ensure appropriate resources and environments are available for the program to run safely and effectively on vaccination day
The new Secondary School Immunisation Program - A guide for schools is a resource that supports schools to deliver the SSIP:
Key dates for schools
Week of 28 January – distribute a Collection Statement to parents/guardians of all students in Years 7 and Year 10.
February – record any objections from parents/guardians who do not wish for their contact details to be provided to local council.
28 February – transfer contact details to local council as soon as possible after census date, edited as per parent/guardian requests. If student data is confirmed prior to 28 February it may be sent earlier to assist local councils to prepare for the SSIP.
Refer to the data extraction instructions in the downloads section, relevant to your school software program. If you have issues with data extraction and can't resolve them with your IT or software service provider, email immunisation@health.vic.gov.au.
Students who missed vaccination at school
Some students may need to complete their adolescent vaccine program in the following school year to ensure they are vaccinated in a timely manner. The council immunisation service will advise parents or guardians and work with your school to deliver any catch-up vaccines to students. Written consent provided by parents or guardians the year before remains valid the following year.
Resources
The following resources have been developed to support councils and schools to work together and to equip schools with the tools and information they require to assist local councils in the delivery the secondary school immunisation program.
To access these resources click on the links below or go to the ‘Downloads’ or ‘Data extraction instructions’ sections at the bottom of this page.
Resources to download
Reviewed 06 February 2023