Young people

School Immunisation Program

The Queensland School Immunisation Program (SIP) enables Year 7 and Year 10 students to be vaccinated at their school at no cost to parents.

Vaccines are also funded (free) for young people who are not attending school or being home schooled.

Year 7 students are offered vaccination against:

• Human papillomavirus (HPV)—1 dose
• Diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis (whooping cough) (dTpa)—1 dose.

This age group requires these vaccinations because:

• they need a booster dose for diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis (whooping cough)
• some immunisations need to be given in early adolescence (human papillomavirus) because the immune response is better at this age for this vaccine.

Year 10 students are offered vaccination against:

• meningococcal A, C, W and Y (menACWY)—1 dose
• meningococcal B strain (menB)—2 doses.

This age group requires this vaccination because:

• some of the highest rates of meningococcal occur among 15 to 19 year olds and this age group can transmit the meningococcal bacteria to people who are at increased risk of infection, including young children
• the vaccine protects young people and reduces risks for the wider community by decreasing the proportion of people carrying the bacteria in their nose and throat.

Completing the consent form

Year 7 and Year 10 students will receive an information sheet and consent form for the vaccines offered. Parents or legal guardians must complete the consent form before their child can be vaccinated.

Parents and legal guardians who do not complete a consent form or return an incomplete form may be contacted by the vaccination provider to check consent.

If you do not want your child to be vaccinated through the school program, or to be contacted by the school immunisation service provider, indicate ‘no’ to vaccination on the consent form.

If you have misplaced the consent form, you can download it below and reprint it.

SIP information sheets and consent forms

Year 7 (HPV, diphtheria/tetanus/pertussis):

• Information sheet
• Consent form

Year 10 (meningococcal vaccines):

• Information sheet
• Consent form

Having the vaccination

A qualified nursing team will visit your child's school to administer the vaccinations.

To ensure vaccination is appropriate, your child will be asked if they are medically well, have any severe allergies, or are pregnant.

After the vaccination, your child will be observed in an area close to the team for at least 15 minutes. The vaccination information will be directly provided to the Australian Immunisation Register (AIR).

Find out more about accessing your child's immunisation history statement.

My child missed the school clinic

If your child misses their school vaccinations, they can be vaccinated:

• at a catch-up school vaccination clinic (check with the provider)
• by your GP or pharmacy (note: the vaccine is provided free but there may be a consultation fee charged by the provider)
• at a free community vaccination clinic (if offered by your local council or immunisation service provider).

For the combined diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis vaccine (dTpa), the meningococcal ACWY vaccine and the meningococcal B vaccine, young people are eligible for funded catch-up vaccines up to and including 19 years of age. Catch-up for the HPV vaccine is available up to and including 25 years of age.

After the cut-off age for catch-ups, vaccines need to be purchased via private prescription.