Immunisation Requirements for Kindergarten and Pre-Kindergarten Programs
Immunisation requirements for children enrolling in Kindergarten and Pre-Kindergarten changed on 22 July 2019.
Updates to the Public Health Act 2016 and School Education Act 1999 state that to enrol a child in Kindergarten and Pre-Kindergarten programs, parents/carers must provide:
- an Australian Immunisation Register (AIR) Immunisation History Statement, no more than two months old, with a status of ‘up to date’; or
- an AIR Immunisation History Form, no more than six months old, if the child is on a catch-up schedule; or
- a valid immunisation certificate issued or declared by the Chief Health Officer.
This applies to new enrolments from 22 July 2019 onwards.
If enrolment of a child attending Pre-Kindergarten or Kindergarten has already been finalised prior to this date, the enrolment is not impacted by this change. Where an application for enrolment has not been accepted and/or finalised, the new immunisation requirements must be met.
Where a child’s immunisation status is ‘not up to date’ and no other acceptable documentation is provided, persons in charge (at a school) may use the Exemption Eligibility Form to determine a child's eligibility for enrolment as an exempt child because of a particular family circumstance.
An exempt child is any child who, at the time of enrolment, meets the description of a class of children prescribed in regulation 10AB of the Public Health Regulations 2017.
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a child is applying to enrol into a long day care, family day care, pre-kindergarten or kindergarten, and
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the child’s immunisation status is ‘not up to date’ according to their AIR Immunisation History Statement, and
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the child is not following a ‘catch up schedule’ prescribed by the regulation, and
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the child does not have an immunisation certificate issued or declared by the Chief Health Officer.
If the principal is satisfied that the child is exempt (suggested supporting evidence is provided on the form), the child can be enrolled. The exemption type must be recorded along with the immunisation status of ‘not up to date’. When directed by the Chief Health Officer, schools will be required to report any enrolled and 'not up to date' children including any exempt children. The Department of Health will follow up with these families to support them in accessing local immunisation services to bring them up to date.
Where a child cannot meet immunisation requirements for enrolment and is not an exempt child, the child is not permitted to enrol.
The Department of Health has developed an Exemption Eligibility Form for assessing exemptions. This form is available on the Department of Health website.