Pupils at Holbrooks Primary have taken up the vaccine superhero challenge from Coventry City Council and have achieved silver status and on their way to achieving gold.
A group of students were presented with an award and prizes by Councillor Kamran Caan, Cabinet Member for Public Health and Cllr George Duggins, Leader of the Council, for recognising the steps they have taken to learn about immunisation and designing a bug character as part of the programme.
The Vaccine Superhero programme, run by Coventry City Council’s Public Health and School-Aged Immunisation Service (SAIS), is currently working with twenty-six primary and SEND schools with two schools attaining Silver awards and Holbrooks working towards Gold.
Cllr Kamran Caan, Cabinet Member for Public Health, Sport and Communities at the Council said:
“I’d like to congratulate Holbrooks Primary for their hard work and commitment in achieving silver status in this important Vaccine Superhero programme.
“I am delighted to see that here in Coventry, our schools, communities, public health and NHS teams have been working hard together to address the concerning rise in of vaccine preventable illnesses, such as measles.
“It’s not too late for other schools to sign up for the scheme. For more information, search vaccine superhero on the Council website.”
Nicki Kelsall, Deputy Headteacher at Holbrooks Primary School, added:
“At Holbrook Primary School, we recognise the importance of childhood immunisations to ensure that children have the best possible protection against dangerous diseases. By educating the children in a fun and exciting way we hope to increase the uptake of immunisations in our community and ensure that the children are fully protected to have a healthy start in life.”
Attendees were provided with an overview of the programme’s progress to date, celebrated the achievements of participating schools, and welcomed new schools to the programme.
Since the launch of the programme, pupils have delved into the world of microbes, learning about their roles, appearance, functions, and how to prevent illness.
Schools have been highly engaged, participating in various creative activities with Hill Farm Primary School recently earning a Silver award through an experiment by investigating mold growth on bread and its relation to the role of microbes in vaccines. Holbrooks Primary School is on track for the first Gold award, having started their journey before the summer break.
For more information or to register for the programme visit Coventry.gov.uk/VaccineSuperhero