Last updated 16.21 23/09/21
Update on vaccinations for all 12–15-year-olds
Thank you to those who have expressed interest in the 12-15 mainstream school programme. The programme has now started and we will continue through to November.
Below we have highlighted key information regarding rostering and session information, please do note.
- Shifts will be released each week for the following week or two. We will communicate to you when these shifts are to be released
- Shifts will be 9.00am – 2.00pm. If you work past 2pm these hours will be added on
- Vaccinators for the time being will be able to book admin shifts only, the position for vaccinator roles at the sessions will be reviewed
- Not all schools will have onsite or free residential parking nearby. So please find suitable parking nearby. You are able to claim your parking expenses through ePay.
- Shifts will be released in the format of the position and the area of work e.g. Admin GLD (Admin Guildford)
Boroughs of where the shift is will be initialled as below:
- Reigate and Banstead – BAN
- Epsom and Ewell - EPS
- Mole Valley – MLV
- Elmbridge – ELMB
- Guildford – GLD
- Woking – WOK
- Runnymede – RUN
- Spelthorne – SPEL
- Waverley – WAV
- Surrey Heath – SH
On Employee Online / MeApp you will be able to hover over the notes section to see which school the session is for.
Notes for where the school session is have to be added on once the shift is released, so may not appear when you are booking.
- If you book a session and can no longer work it, please give as much notice as possible by emailing csh.mvcadminsupervisor@nhs.net
- You are able to book up to 5 shifts per week - this is for registered health care professionals and administration
As you can imagine, it is a busy time and everyone is working hard to get things running smoothly. We appreciate your patience and understanding. Please email if you have any queries csh.mvcadminsupervisor@nhs.net
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General information
Following the Department of Heath and Social Care’s (DHSC) decision on Monday 13 September, the NHS is now working with organisations that provide school-age immunisation services to make sure all children aged 12 to 15 are offered a first dose of the COVID-19 vaccination before the October half-term break.
Vaccination in schools should begin from Wednesday 22 September, with most school visits completed and children vaccinated before the half-term break in October.
Parents or guardians of children aged 12-15 will begin to receive letters from their local school-aged immunisation service provider during the next week, with details of when the vaccination will be offered. For most children, this will be through a session at their school.
They will also be asked to provide consent for their child to receive the vaccination, either through an online or a paper form.
Parents or guardians do not need to contact their local GP or other NHS services, nor make an appointment through the National Booking Service. SAIS providers will put in place processes to exclude children that have already received a first dose under previous JCVI advice.
At this time, the Chief Medical Officers advise that 12-15 year olds should be offered a first dose only, which will be of the Pfizer-BioNTech (Comirnaty) vaccine, the only vaccine currently authorised for those aged 12-15.
The recommendation for those aged 12-15 at greater risk of serious COVID-19, or who are household contacts of severely immunosuppressed individuals, will be offered two doses. Those that have specific immunosuppressive condition as set out in JCVI guidance should have three doses in their primary schedule.
The vaccine is safe, quick and effective. It does not give people the COVID-19 virus and does not contain any animal products.
Children do not need to be registered with a GP or have an NHS number to be vaccinated.
This year, the school aged flu vaccine has also been extended so that as well as children in primary school and year 7, it will now be offered to those in years 8 to 11.
So most secondary school aged children will be eligible for both flu and COVID-19 vaccinations this winter, to protect themselves and those around them. We hope that as many as possible will come forward to get both vaccinations when they are invited.
Frequently asked questions
Last updated 09.37 17/09/21
Who will be responsible for giving the COVID-19 vaccine to healthy 12- to 15-year-olds?
Vaccination will be carried out by school-aged immunisation service (SAIS) providers, a group of provider organisations such as NHS community trusts who are contracted in local systems to provide routine immunisation services such as flu.
What will be the role of schools?
Schools will have three main roles, similar to those in other vaccination programmes:
- provide information to their SAIS provider on which children on their roll are eligible for the vaccine
- share information that the SAIS provider needs parents and children to have
- provide the space within school, and the time away from the timetable, to enable vaccinations to take place
Are at-risk children being vaccinated in schools too?
Primary care network (PCN) groupings delivering the COVID-19 vaccination enhanced service are the main providers for at-risk children, reflecting the existing relationships that general practice has with these children and their families.
Will there be national guidance on consent?
All consent guidance is contained within Public Health England’s ‘Green Book’.
The COVID-19 vaccination consent form for children and young people (including easy-read immunisation and consent resources) can be found at:
www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-vaccination-resources-for-ch...
Who gives consent for COVID-19 vaccination – and how?
As with all vaccinations, a consent form and information leaflet provided by the SAIS team will be used to seek consent from parents or those with parental responsibility. Parents will also be provided with a contact number for the SAIS team in case of any queries. Consent forms should be returned by the deadline agreed with the team.
Some children may be sufficiently mature to provide their own consent if their parents have not returned a consent form and they express a wish to have a vaccine on the day of the session. Trained professionals in the SAIS team, with expertise in vaccinating children and assessing consent, will speak to the child to assess intelligence, competence and understanding to fully appreciate what's involved in their treatment, to determine appropriateness of administering the vaccine. This will include making every effort to contact the parent to seek their verbal consent and an assessment of the individual child’s capacity to self-consent, where appropriate.
The COVID-19 vaccination consent form for children and young people can be found at:
www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-vaccination-resources-for-children-and-young-people
Information on school flu consent is available at: Flu vaccination programme 2021 to 2022: briefing for schools - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Will school-based vaccination be available for children within a few weeks of their twelfth birthday?
Children under the age of 12 cannot yet receive a COVID-19 vaccination. Pfizer-BioNTech BNT162b2 (Comirnaty®) is the only vaccine currently authorised for those aged 12-15. This vaccination is licensed only for children aged 12 and above, so only children who are 12 on or before the date of vaccination will be vaccinated.
A child who is 11 when they receive an appointment/consent form but 12 on the day of their vaccination appointment will be eligible for vaccination.
Will school-based vaccination be available for 16-17.75 year olds?
Alternatives are available for children aged 16-17.75. There are a range of convenient walk-in centres available to them, and they will shortly be able to book using the National Booking System. There will not be any opportunity for these students to be ‘mopped-up’ in this programme.
Is any guidance available for supporting children who are needle-phobic?
This is available at appendix 3 (p.20) of the children’s vaccination requirements, Workforce considerations for phase 3 children’s vaccination.