Link to register: Vaccinations in Schools: Support for Educators | NHS England Events
This is a joint webinar, chaired by the Department for Education’s Chief Scientific Adviser, Professor Michael Thomas. You’ll hear from health experts from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and the NHS about the role education settings play in supporting vaccination programmes, and the significant impact this can have on children’s health now, and in later life.
You’ll learn more about the routine adolescent programmes and where you can find information and guidance on how to work with your local immunisation team to maximise vaccination uptake.
There will also be a special item on measles. The UK recently lost its measles-free status, and case numbers have been rising since 2023, with most of the cases in unvaccinated children under the age of ten years and many outbreaks linked to educational settings. You’ll hear about the role you can play in the national effort to reverse this trend, including through school-based MMR check and offer.
There will be a Q&A session at the end of the webinar.
A recording of the webinar will be made available on UKHSA’s YouTube channel after the event, along with links to helpful information sources such as UKHSA’s guidance on supporting immunisation programmes for children and young people.
Back to school and winter readiness for children and young people - Message from the UKHSA Southwest Health Protection Team
The SW Health Protection Team looks forward to working alongside early years and education settings across the South-West for yet another school year to help prevent and manage cases and outbreaks of infectious diseases 😊
Here are some useful resources for your setting – please keep these links on your desktop so that you have quick and easy access to them when you need them:
A to Z of infections
Managing specific infectious diseases: A to Z - GOV.UK – this very useful A-Z list provides advice on how settings can manage specific infectious diseases by themselves. It also helps you know when you need to contact the SW Health Protection Team (SWHPT). Most infections you see in your settings can be safely and effectively managed by the setting themselves so we highly recommend that you refer to this guidance before contacting the SWHPT.
Preventing infections and staying healthy this winter
Some key messages are also re-iterated in the DFE Education Hub: Reducing the spread of illness this winter: Seven steps to healthier schools and higher school attendance – The Education Hub and the UKHSA blog A guide to keeping kids healthy this school year for parents and carers – UK Health Security Agency.
The SW Health Protection Team has partnered with SW Councils to provide additional regional health protection resources – these are focused on Infection prevention and control, vaccines and a range of topics including Group A Strep, norovirus/D&V and respiratory infections. You can find these resources at UKHSA Infection Protection and Winter Readiness and Control Toolkit for Early Years and Education Settings - South West Councils
Vaccination
One of the best ways to prevent infections is vaccination. Everything you can do to support and encourage vaccinations for your children and young people and eligible staff is much appreciated. You can find out more information about vaccinations at NHS vaccinations and when to have them - NHS.
The Campaign Resource Centre has a host of downloadable resources