• Skip to main content
  • Skip to navigation
  • Accessibility
  • Contact Us
Government of Western Australia Crest
Government of Western Australia
Government of Western Australia Crest

Additional Menu

  • Accessibility
  • Contact us
Go to WA Government search
  • About us
    • About CAHS
    • Health Service Board
      • Frequently asked questions
    • Executive team
    • Our performance
    • Annual Reports
    • Strategies and plans
    • Acknowledgement of Country
    • Conduct standards
      • Public Interest Disclosure
      • Reporting misconduct
    • Contact us
  • Our services
    • Neonatology
      • Neonatal Units
      • For parents and carers
      • Newborn Emergency Transport Service
      • The Perron Rotary Express Milk (PREM) Bank
      • Neonatal Follow up Program
      • Neonatology Clinical Research
      • Neonatology clinical guidelines
      • NETS WA clinical guidelines
      • Compliments and complaints
      • Neonatology Resources
      • Contact us
    • Community Health
      • Aboriginal Health Team
      • Child Health
      • Child Development Service
      • Immunisation
      • Refugee Health
      • School Health
      • Healthy Lifestyle Program
      • Bedwetting program
      • Compliments and complaints
      • Contact us
    • Mental Health
      • About us
      • Get help
      • Your healthcare rights
      • CAMHS Crisis Connect
      • Community CAMHS
      • Specialist services and day programs
      • Hospital services
      • Aboriginal Mental Health
      • For families and young people
      • Compliments and complaints
      • Contact us
    • Perth Children's Hospital
    • Children's Hospice Project
    • Community Hubs
    • First 1,000 Days Framework
  • For families and carers
    • COVID-19
      • Visiting CAHS sites
      • COVID-19 and children
      • Vaccination
      • Resources
    • Accessing or updating medical records
    • Being involved in your child's care
      • Your healthcare rights
      • Your child's medical record
      • Informed consent
      • Shared decision making
    • Consumer engagement
      • Become a consumer representative
      • Community Ambassador Program
      • Consumer groups and committees
      • Consumer Engagement Strategy
    • Compliments and complaints
      • Feedback form
      • You Said, We Did
      • Stars of CAHS Awards
    • Safety and quality of care
      • Preventing infections
      • Patient safety
      • Protecting the vulnerable
      • Listening and communicating with our consumers
    • QRious Health Hub for young people
    • Resources
    • Telehealth
  • For health professionals
    • Work with us
      • Careers at CAHS
      • Our vacancies
      • Why work for us?
    • Resources
      • Community Health Clinical Nursing Manual
      • Aboriginal child health resources
      • CAHS Clinical Disclaimer
      • Neonatology guidelines
      • Neonatology Postnatal Ward guidelines
      • Newborn Emergency Transport Service WA guidelines
      • Schools and Child Care
    • CAHS Medical Library
    • CAHS Child Safeguarding Unit
    • Referrals to our services
      • Community Health
      • Mental Health
      • Newborn Emergency Transport Service
  • Research
    • For researchers
      • Things you need to know
      • Ethics and governance approval
      • Support for researchers
      • Research funding opportunities
      • Research suites at Perth Children's Hospital
      • Research events, training and meetings
      • Ethics and governance
      • Research Education Program
    • For families
    • Featured projects
      • ACORN project
      • Early Moves
      • ESCALATION
      • FH in Kids
      • Food Allergy Clinical Research Program
      • Healthy Lifestyle Program
      • Move to Improve
      • SPECIAL kids study
    • Clinical research overview
      • Clinical Trial frequently asked questions
    • COVID-19 and research processes
      • COVID-19 Research Ethics and Governance Processes
    • For industry and sponsors - clinical trials
    • Our research partners
  1. Home
  2. Our services
  3. Community Health
  4. School Health
  5. Starting school
  6. School Entry Health Assessment

School Entry Health Assessment

A free health check for all children in the year they start school.

School Entry Health Assessment

We offer all children a free health check in the year that they start school, helping them start their school journey healthy, safe and happy.

 

Completing the assessment form

Once enrolled, your child's school will give you a School Entry Health Assessment form together with more information about the health check. The envelope will look like this:

School Entry Health Assessment letter front

The School Entry Health Assessment (SEHA) form asks about your child's health and development to provide more information to the nurse who will be doing the health check. You can also add extra information about your child, if you want.

Please make sure you fill in this form and then return it to your child's school as soon as you can. It is very important that you sign the form, so the nurse has your consent to do the assessment.

The assessment

The school health nurse will visit your child’s school during the year.

If you have provided consent (by signing the form), the nurse will check your child’s:

Vision (how well they can see)

The nurse will use:

  • an eye chart to check how well your child can see things at a distance
  • a small light to check inside your child’s eyes.

Hearing

The nurse will look into your child’s ears, and then put headphones on your child’s head and play a sound.

The nurse may do some other checks to make sure your child’s ears are working properly.

Growth

The nurse will measure your child’s height and weight to calculate their Body Mass Index (BMI). BMI is a guide that shows if a child is above, within or below their healthy weight range.

We will not tell your child the results.

Teeth

The nurse will ask your child to open their mouth to look at their teeth, mouth, tongue, lips, gums, and cheeks to look for any concerns.

General health

This is a brief check of any developmental or health concerns that you mention in the form, or that the nurse or teacher has noticed.

Results

You will get the results soon after the nurse has completed it. 

You may like to keep the results in your child’s Purple Book (their personal health record).

If your child needs any extra checks, we will let you know.

You can also refer to our Look at me, I am 3 page for details of support available. 

Questions about your child's health

Remember, you can talk to the school health nurse at any time if you have concerns about your child’s health and development. Just contact them through the school office. 

The video below outlines some of the developmental skills that most 3-year-olds will have reached. 

 

Last Updated: 24/03/2025
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • YouTube

Footer menu

  • wa.gov.au
  • Copyright
  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy
  • Sitemap
  • Contact Us

Brought to you by the Department of Health, Western Australia

© Government of Western Australia 2018 to