Health Screening for Primary School

Health Screening in Primary Schools

The school health team visits primary schools annually to conduct health screening of students. This will allow for early detection of health issues and encourage building of foundational healthy habits.

In 2025, we introduced Grow Well SG (GWSG), a new national initiative to promote children's health in the digital age. GWSG focuses on helping children eat, sleep, learn, and exercise well, aiming to establish healthy habits early for a better future. To support this, as part of their Health Plan, students will be given personalised lifestyle prescriptions, based on the Child Lifestyle Questionnaire and their interests. The initiative officially rolled out for Primary 1 to Primary 3 students in 2025 and will progressively rollout for other educational levels over the subsequent years. 

Child's Medical Information

It is important that you provide your child's updated medical information prior to the school health visit. All information provided will be kept strictly confidential and will only be used by HPB in the management of your child's health^.

^The information may be placed into a database known as the Electronic Medical Records (EMR) System and the National Electronic Health Records (NEHR). The information may also be collated and used for national public health policy planning, ethically approved research, official reports and publications. Full confidentiality is ensured, i.e., your child's identity will not be revealed.

Health services for Primary School Students

 

Details on Immunisations

As part of the National Childhood Immunisation Programme, your child will be given the vaccination against Tetanus/Diphtheria/Pertussis and Polio (Tdap/IPV Booster 2) in Primary 5. 

Additionally, if they were noted to have missed any of the *compulsory vaccinations in childhood, they may be administered these during the annual school health visits as well.

Please note that *Diphtheria and Measles vaccinations are compulsory by law.

 

Details on Conditions Screened

Vision Screening

Good vision is essential for your child's learning and development. Early detection and correction of vision issues help ensure your child can see clearly and learn effectively.

Your child will undergo a simple vision test for myopia (short-sightedness). During the screening, your child will be asked to read letters or numbers from a chart placed at a standard distance.

If your child requires further assessment of their vision, a referral letter will be given for them to be reviewed by an optometrist or optician in the community. In some cases, your child may be referred to HPB’s Student Health Centre Refraction Clinic to be assessed. At the Refraction Clinic, the optometrist may instil eye drops to improve the accuracy of your child's eye examination.

Please refer to the Advisory on Vision Screening. This advisory provides information on signs and symptoms which may suggest that further assessment of your child's vision may be required.

Do note that the school vision screening is a preliminary test that checks for myopia only. It does not screen for other eye conditions and may occasionally miss cases or give false positives. If you have any concerns about your child’s vision, a comprehensive eye exam with an optometrist or eye specialist is recommended.

Screening for Squint

A squint, also known as strabismus, is a condition in which the eyes do not align in the same direction. While one eye looks straight ahead, the squinting eye may turn inward or outward. A squint can also be vertical, with one eye higher than the other. Squints may be constant or intermittent. 

It can lead to vision problems if left untreated. If a possible squint is detected during health screening, your child may be referred to the Student Health Centre or eye specialists for further assessment.

 

Hearing Screening

Hearing issues can affect learning. Early detection and treatment of hearing issues ensure that your child's learning will not be affected.

Your child will be asked to put on headphones and undergo a hearing test with an audiometer. If they cannot hear all or some of the sounds, their ears may be examined and they may be referred for further assessment.

Please refer to the Advisory on the hearing test. The advisory lists signs and symptoms that may indicate the need for further assessment of your child's hearing.

 

Height and BMI Assessment

Your child's height and weight will be checked to assess their growth. Growth charts are used to compare their height and Body Mass Index(BMI) with those of other children of the same age.

BMI is calculated using this formula : [Weight (kg)/Height(m) x Height(m)]. After the BMI value is calculated, it is plotted on a BMI-for-age percentile chart. Separate charts are used for boys and girls. The percentile or percentile range shows the relative position of the child’s BMI among children of the same age and gender.

 

BMI Percentile	Weight Status (For Boys & Girls aged 6-18years old)
≥ 97thpercentile	Severely overweight
90thto < 97thpercentile	Overweight
5thto < 90thpercentile	Acceptable weight
3rdto < 5thpercentile	Underweight
< 3rdpercentile	Severely underweight

Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factor Screening and Healthy Lifestyle Programme (Virtual Coaching) 

Selected students who are found to be overweight or severely overweight may be offered Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factor (CVDRF) screening. The screening includes blood pressure measurements and/or relevant blood tests to detect conditions such as abnormal blood pressure, cholesterol levels, and/or blood sugar. Your child will be given a pamphlet with further instructions on visiting our partner laboratories for the blood tests. If required, students may also be enrolled in a Healthy Lifestyle Programme (Virtual Coaching), where a Wellness Coach will provide detailed coaching on nutrition and lifestyle habits.

 

Spinal Screening for Curved Spine (Scoliosis)