Blog

This week, we’ve been looking at the data. While the national picture still shows a worrying dip in school-aged immunisation coverage, the local data from our partners tells a different, more hopeful story. Dedicated school nursing teams and the 5–19 Healthy Child Programme workforce are proving what’s possible.

Vaccination rates in the UK have been falling since 2021, putting more children at risk from preventable diseases. The latest RCPCH report makes it clear: the main barriers aren’t about hesitancy, but access. School-aged immunisation programmes are already breaking those barriers, bringing healthcare to where children are, and showing us what’s possible.

The National Child Measurement Programme (NCMP) is one of the few universal touchpoints for child health in the UK, offering a unique opportunity to engage with families and children in a meaningful and proactive way about their health. Yet, despite its broad reach and potential, the programme remains underutilised as a tool for genuine intervention. Traditionally, the NCMP letter has served as a standardised notification to parents about their child’s weight status.