Immunisation/Vaccination Policy

We recognise, where possible, that children are vaccinated in accordance with their age. If children are not vaccinated, it is the responsibility of the parents to inform the nursery when filling out the registration form. Parents need to be aware that children will not be vaccinated in the nursery. This may be due to their age, medical reasons or parental choice. 

Bijou nursery does not discriminate against children who have not received their immunisations and will not disclose individual details to other parents. However, we hold the right to share the risks of infection if children have not had immunisations and ask parents to sign a disclaimer. Information regarding immunisations will be recorded on children's registration documents and updated as and when necessary, including when the child reaches the age for the appropriate immunisations so that the nursery manager will be aware of any children who are not vaccinated within the nursery in accordance with their age.

Staff vaccinations policy It is the responsibility of all staff to ensure they keep up-to-date with their vaccinations for:

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• Tetanus 

• Tuberculosis 

• Rubella

• Hepatitis

• Polio

If a member of staff is unsure as to whether they are up-to-date, then we recommend that they visit their GP or practice nurse. 

 

Emergency Information

Emergency information should be kept for every child and should be updated every six months with regular reminders to parents in newsletters, via our website and a reminder notice on the Parent Information Board.

 Immunisations by the age of two all children should have received three doses of diptheria/tetanus/whooping cough/Hib and polio immunizations and at least one dose of measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) immunization.

By age 5 all children should, in addition, have had a booster of diptheria, tetanus and polio, and a second dose of MMR.

 

 

It is best practice for early years providers to maintain a record of the vaccinations that children have had and to keep this information in their personal file, along with other important information – including any specific health needs. 
 

This record should be updated as further vaccinations are given.
 

It is important to remember that there will always be some children who will not be protected for some diseases. This could include:
 

 

• children who cannot be immunised for medical reasons

• children who are too young to be immunised

• children who missed appointments, or were too ill when they were due to be vaccinated

• children whose parents have decided against vaccination

 

 

For a few children, it might also be the case that a vaccination didn’t work for them, so even those who have been vaccinated will not always be protected.
 

It would be wrong for any early year’s provider to routinely refuse to offer a place to a child who has not been vaccinated. Parents should always be encouraged to have their child immunised to protect both their health and that of the other children in the setting. Any parent who is concerned about having their child immunised should be encouraged to talk to their health visitor or GP. The most important thing for you is to know the vaccination status of every child in the setting. This will be important information should there be an incident of a serious disease.
 

 

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Notifiable diseases

 

​Most of the illnesses routinely vaccinated against are known as ‘notifiable diseases. This means that doctors or GPs who are presented with a case of one of these serious diseases, such as measles or diphtheria, are required by law to notify government authorities. This is so that they can monitor and intervene as appropriate in order to prevent an epidemic.

 

Responding to such an outbreak may involve Public Health protection team. The actions they take might include alerting the general public, organising a vaccination programme or simply providing information and advice.

 

If a child attending your setting is diagnosed with a ‘notifiable disease’ then we highly recommend that you report this to Ofsted. This is not the same as notifying a disease to the government, which is the responsibility of registered medical practitioners. If you are concerned about a child attending your setting who has been diagnosed with one of these diseases, you can also contact your local health protection team for further advice.

 

 

Notifiable diseases include:

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• Mumps

• Measles

• Whooping cough

• Tetanus

• Tuberculosis

• Meningitis

• Scarlet fever

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