Banking on school safety
Firbank Grammar School is one of the first schools in Victoria to offer onsite vaccination clinics for primary school-aged children. The move to in-school clinics will save parents from the hustle, lost time and disappointment experienced by countless others these coming weeks as they seek access to hard-to-find Pfizer jabs for their children.
The need for local appointments has been so dire that when the Firbank Grammar School reached out to other local primary schools to offer appointments for their students, the offer was immediately taken up. There are appointments provided until March.
Last week 130 students aged five to 11 received their first government-funded vaccination at GP-supervised clinics set up at the school, and another 270 staff and students will received booster shots.
Firbank Grammar School principal Jenny Williams said, “Doing the vaccinations at school is less frightening for the younger students. The school is familiar to them and it enables our entire school population to access vaccinations and boosters far more easily”.
Since last year, Firbank Grammar School has been working with TLC Healthcare, first to provide Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) and vaccinations to staff and Year 11 and 12 students, followed by other students. In October, RATs were made available to any student and staff member who wished to take one. The school also required all contractors or visitors to campus to take a test to keep students and staff safe, which prevented up to 15 outbreaks last year.
Lucy Weddell’s two oldest daughters, Anna and Skye, were vaccinated at the school last year. Both girls and their younger sister Alice, who starts Year 7, will receive their boosters through the onsite vaccination clinic.
“It just makes it simple and straightforward for the parents,” said Mrs Weddell. “We haven’t had to find available spots randomly.”
Anna and Skye often used the RATs last year and Mrs Weddell expects that to continue when school returns for Term 1.
“It gave us peace of mind. We felt that school was a safe environment. Rapid antigen testing was very well-received,” said Mrs Weddell.
After being approached by Williams, Lou Pascuzzi, chief executive of TLC Healthcare, said that TLC Healthcare administered vaccines and provided RATs to Firbank Grammar School’s staff and high-school students at their medical centres. But with news that the government would allow younger children to be vaccinated, it was decided to move the immunisation program onto the Firbank campus for its students and for those from nearby schools as well.
For more information, visit firbank.vic.edu.au.
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