Info for parents and carers

The school nursing team will be visiting your child’s school to offer your child their P1 health review.

The school nursing service aims to promote the physical, emotional and mental health of all children and young people during their time at school. The services offered will help to identify health and developmental issues and enable appropriate action to be taken.

Before signing the consent form, please read carefully the enclosed information on the reverse of this letter regarding who can consent for health reviews. The consent form is asking for the details of your child’s health, including questions about their development and a Tuberculosis (TB) risk assessment. If necessary, your child may be referred to another service for further TB assessment. Please note that your child will not receive any immunisations at this contact.

Please ensure all forms are completed as accurately as possible and signed by the person with Parental Responsibility (see accompanying information) and returned to school the following day. The school nursing team will review the information you provide and carry out the P1 health review at your child’s school over the coming weeks. If you wish to be present for the review, please contact the School Nurse on the contact number enclosed to arrange an appointment. This number can also be used if you wish to discuss your child’s health or development.

A member of the school nursing team may contact you to provide feedback following the P1 health review. This review includes the following:

• Vision screening – It is important that your child’s vision is screened in Primary 1. Your child’s vision will be assessed by covering one eye at a time and matching or reading letters/pictures at a set distance from an eye test chart. If your child wears glasses, they should bring them, as vision will be screened wearing the prescription glasses.
• Hearing screening – Your child will be asked to wear headphones and respond to a range of sounds.
• Growth monitoring – Your child will be asked to remove their shoes before standing under a height measure and to remove any heavy clothing (blazer or fleece) before being weighed.

Healthy eating for school age children – Choosing a wide variety of food from the different food groups is the best way to ensure your child gets all the nutrients they need to stay healthy. Please see below information link for parents/carers;

Healthy choices. Choose wisely: advice for parents | HSC Public Health Agency

The Public Health Agency recommends that children over the age of one should take a daily supplement of 10 micrograms of Vitamin D, particularly from October to late March/ April.

If you have returned the form giving your consent but your child misses the P1 health review at school (e.g. Due to absence or illness), the school nursing service will offer your child another appointment. It is important to have your child’s vision assessed. If this cannot be done in school, a referral will be made to the orthoptic clinic for assessment. Orthoptists have specialised training to assess, diagnose, and treat squints, amblyopia (poor vision), and abnormalities of binocular vision (3D Vision). Orthoptic treatment aims to maximise vision and relieve symptoms. Orthoptists work alongside eye consultants and opticians as part of the eye care team. Eye examinations are available free of charge to all children under 16, and you can book an appointment directly with a local optician.

We have taken your child’s name and address from the Child Health computer system. All information is processed in accordance with GDPR and Data Protection Principles. If you have any queries about the information in this leaflet or require it in an alternative format, please contact your local school nursing team using the number below.

School Health Service Telephone: 028950 41847

The school nursing team will be visiting your child’s school to offer your child the P1 health review.

We understand that your child may already be involved with a range of services to meet their specific health needs. The P1 health review is an additional opportunity to discuss any unmet health needs you feel your child may be experiencing.

The school nursing service aims to promote the physical, emotional, and mental health of all children and young people during their time at school. The services offered help identify health and developmental concerns and discuss appropriate signposting to relevant services.

Before signing, the enclosed consent forms, please carefully read the information on the reverse of this letter regarding who can consent for health reviews. The consent forms include questions about your child’s health and development, as well as a Tuberculosis (TB) risk assessment. If required, your child may be referred to another service for further TB assessment. Please note that your child will not receive any immunisations during this visit.

Please ensure all forms are completed as accurately as possible, signed by the person with Parental Responsibility (see accompanying information), and returned to the school the following day.

A member of the school health team will review the returned consent form and may contact you to discuss any concerns you have raised. During this call, we can discuss whether it is suitable for your child to be seen by a member of the school health team, and whether you would like to attend the appointment. If you provide consent and your child is seen in school without you present, an outcome letter will be sent home. A member of the school health team may also contact you to discuss the outcomes.

Where appropriate, the P1 health review includes the following:

• Vision screening – this will be completed by an Orthoptist in school as detailed in the attached information letter. Please complete the enclosed blue consent form. If your child wears glasses, they should bring them, as vision will be screened with these.
• Hearing screening – Where appropriate, your child will be asked to wear headphones and respond to a range of sounds.
• Growth monitoring – Where appropriate, your child will be asked to remove their shoes before standing under a height measure and to remove any heavy clothing (e.g. blazer or fleece) before being weighed.

Healthy Eating for school-Age Children – Choosing a wide variety of food from the different food groups is the best way to make sure your child is getting all the nutrients they need to stay healthy. The link below provides information for parents:

Healthy choices. Choose wisely: advice for parents | HSC Public Health Agency

If you have returned the form giving your consent but your child misses the P1 health review in school (e.g. Due to absence or illness), the school nursing service will offer another appointment.

We have taken your child’s name and address from the Child Health computer system and we process all the information we hold on this system in accordance with GDPR and Data Protection Principles.

If you have any queries regarding this information or require it in an alternative format, please contact your local school nursing team on 028 9504 1847.

The school nursing team will be visiting your child’s school to offer their Year 8 health review.

The school nursing service aims to promote the physical, emotional, and mental health of all children and young people during their time at school. The services offered will help identify health and developmental issues and enable appropriate action to be taken.

Before signing the consent form, please read the enclosed information on the reverse of this letter regarding who can consent for health reviews. The enclosed consent form asks for details of your child’s health and includes questions about their development and a Tuberculosis (TB) risk assessment. If required, your child may be referred to another service for further TB assessment.

Please ensure all forms are completed as accurately as possible by the person with parental responsibility (see accompanying information), signed and returned to the school the following day. The school nursing team will review the information you provide and carry out the Year 8 health review at your child’s school over the coming weeks. If you wish to discuss your child’s health and development before or after the review, you can contact the school nurse using the number below. A member of the school nursing team may also contact you to provide feedback following Year 8 health review. Please Note that your child will not be receiving any immunisations during this visit.

Growth measurements will be offered as part of the Year 8 health review. Your child will be asked to remove their shoes before standing under a height measure, and to remove any heavy clothing (e.g. blazer or fleece) before being weighed. If you have concerns about your child’s growth, please make an appointment with their GP.

Healthy Eating for School-Aged Children

Choosing a wide variety of food from the different food groups is the best way to ensure your child gets all the nutrients they need to stay healthy. The Public Health Agency recommends that children over the age of one should take a daily supplement of 10 micrograms of Vitamin D, particularly from October to late March/ April. Please see the link below to the Public Health Dietitian’s Childhood and Teenage Nutrition webinars:

Childhood and Teenage Nutrition Webinars – YouTube

If you have returned the form giving your consent but your child misses the Year 8 health review in school (e.g. due to absence or illness), a further appointment will be offered in the next school year. The school nurse will contact you if you have highlighted any areas of concern on the form.

We have obtained your child’s name and address from the Child Health computer system. All information is processed in accordance with GDPR and Data Protection Principles.

If you have any queries regarding the information contained within this leaflet or require it in an alternative format, please contact your local school nursing team using this number: 028 9504 1847.

The School Immunisation Team will be visiting your child’s school during this academic year.

Year 8-Year 12

Immunisation: All pupils will be offered Flu vaccination.

Year 9

Immunisation:  Human Papillomavirus vaccine (HPV) will be offered to all pupils in Year 9. Pupils in Year 10 who missed the vaccine will be reoffered in school.

Year 11

Immunisation: Low dose Diphtheria, Tetanus & Polio; Meningitis ACWY and Measles, Mumps & Rubella (MMR) will be offered to pupils in Year 11.  Pupils in Year 12 who missed these vaccines or did not complete the vaccine programme will be reoffered in school.

Written consent is always sought prior to immunisations. Please read carefully the information about consent which is on the back of this information leaflet.

We have taken your child’s name and address from the Child Health computer system and we process all the information we hold on this system in accordance with the Data Protection Act (2018).

It is not normally necessary for parents to be present for immunisations. However, if you wish to be present or would like to discuss any health issue please contact the School Nurse or the Immunisation Team on 028 9504 1847.

Students – Students may accompany the School Immunisation Team as part of their learning programme.