Flu and MMR vaccination

Your child will be offered the flu vaccine every year in primary school. From September you will also be able to book an MMR catch-up vaccination for your child at one of our community clinics if they haven't already had this.

Vaccination form

Click on the child vaccination form button to consent or decline the vaccination for your child. You only need a few details to complete the form, either your child’s NHS number, or if you don’t have that to hand, their name, date of birth and school name. If parents do not complete the form, our team will contact you via telephone to ask if you do wish for your child to have the vaccine.

Child vaccination form

Flu

The children's nasal spray flu vaccine is offered every year to primary-aged children during the winter months to help protect them against flu. The vaccine is given as a spray squirted up each nostril. It's quick, painless, safe and effective.

Flu is caused by the influenza virus. It can be a very unpleasant illness for children. It can also lead to serious problems, such as bronchitis and pneumonia.

Children can catch and spread flu easily. Vaccinating them also protects others who are vulnerable to flu, such as babies and older people.

You might want to show your child these short videos explaining how the flu vaccine is delivered.

Find out more about viral shedding

Although vaccinated children are known to shed virus a few days after vaccination, it is less able to spread from person to person than the natural infection. The amount of virus shed is normally below the levels needed to pass on infection to others and the virus does not survive for long outside of the body. This is in contrast to natural flu infection, which spreads easily during the flu season. In schools using vaccine, therefore, the overall risk of influenza transmission is reduced by having a large number of children vaccinated, thus reducing their risk of infection

In the US, where there has been extensive use of LAIV for many years, serious illness amongst immunocompromised contacts who are inadvertently exposed to vaccine virus has never been observed. Expert doctors at Great Ormond Street Hospital, who deal with many children with very serious immune problems, do not recommend keeping such children off school purely because of vaccination.

A tiny number of children who are extremely severely immunocompromised e.g. immediately after a bone marrow transplant, would not be attending school anyway because the risk from all the other infections that children pass to each other at school would be too great. It is important that all children with immune problems should themselves be vaccinated, usually with an injected inactivated vaccine. Similarly, healthy children who have family contacts who are very severely immunocompromised should be given an inactivated influenza vaccine.

(Source Public Health England, 2017)

MMR

The MMR vaccine is a safe and effective combined vaccine offered to four to 19 year-olds as part of a catch-up campaign in our community clinics. This vaccine is given as an injection in the arm.

It protects against three serious illnesses:

These highly infectious conditions can easily spread between unvaccinated people. Getting vaccinated is important, as these conditions can also lead to serious problems including meningitis, hearing loss and problems during pregnancy. Two doses of the MMR vaccine provide the best protection against measles, mumps and rubella.

If your child has missed any vaccinations

Your child will be offered a range of vaccinations throughout their lives. Visit NHS.uk for a checklist of the vaccines and the ages at which they should be given.

You can ring your GP if you are unsure if your child has missed any vaccinations.

If your child has missed their flu or MMR vaccine at school, is home educated or you would prefer to have their immunisation outside the school setting, you can book an appointment at one of our community immunisation clinics.

Families who might need further support

We understand children with special educational needs, anxiety or a disability may find vaccination sessions stressful. We would like to offer all children the opportunity to receive their vaccinations in an appropriate and comfortable environment.

We can go to your child’s school and vaccinate – you may wish to be with them, but this is not a requirement.
We have regular community clinics across Kent and Medway that vary from children’s centres to hospitals. You can book at a location and time of your choice and come along with your child.
In exceptional circumstances, we may be able to offer home visits.

School-aged Immunisation Service

If you have any queries on a vaccination or need extra support for a child with a health condition, disability or additional need.