The School Health Service (SHS) provides school-based health screening programme to primary school children.
Doctors and nurses from the School Health Service (SHS) visit schools to conduct health screening for the children to detect health conditions common among the school-going population. The dates for these screening sessions are scheduled to minimise disruption to the children's classes.
Table below shows a summary of the screening activities for primary school children.
| Educational Level | Type of Screening Activity |
|---|---|
| Primary 1 |
|
| Primary 2-4 |
|
| Primary 5-6 |
|
After the health screening, a summarised report will be placed in your child's health booklet for your information.
Types of screening
Vision screening
Good vision is very important for your child who is learning and growing. Visual problems should therefore be corrected early so that these will not hinder your child's learning ability.
School children are screened for myopia (shortsightedness) every year. Your child will be required to read off a chart, from a pre-determined distance to check his eyesight. If the results show that your child may be shortsighted, he will be referred to Health Promotion Board's Refraction Clinics for further assessment. Children Students from Primary 2 to 6 will be given a letter to see an optometrist.
3D Vision screening
This test is done to find out if your child has normal three dimensional (3D) vision. Special patterned plates are shown to him. If he is unable to pick out the right images, he may be suffering from a squint or other eye conditions. He will be referred to the Student Health Centre at the Health Promotion Board for further assessment.
Growth & development assessment
The height and weight of your child will be checked to see if he is growing well. Growth charts are used to compare his height and weight with those of other children of the same age. If his growth rate is not within the normal range, he will be referred to the Student Health Centre for further assessment.
Through this, we can monitor the physical growth and normal development of your child.
Here are the recommended growth charts:
- BMI for Age Percentile: Boys 6 - 18 years
- BMI for Age Percentile: Girls 6 - 18 years
- Weight for Age-Boys: 6 - 18 years
- Weight for Age-Girls: 6 - 18 years
- Height for Age-Boys: 6 - 18 years
- Height for Age-Girls: 6 - 18 years
Hearing screening
Some children who have difficulties with schoolwork may actually have hearing problems that affect their studies. If these hearing problems are detected and treated early, their learning abilities will improve.
Your child will be asked to put on earphones and have his hearing tested with an audiometer. He will be asked to indicate on a chart when he hears a sound in each ear. If he cannot hear all or some of the sounds, he will be referred to the Student Health Centre for further assessment.
Spinal screening
The Forward Bending Test is the method used to screen for abnormal spinal curve. Your child will be asked to bend forward so that the doctor or nurse can examine the back.
If a "hump" is detected, your child will be referred to the Student Health Centre for further evaluation.
Medical check-up by the doctor
Health conditions checked by the doctor include:
- Heart defects
- Slow growth
- Squint (and other eye conditions)
- Other developmental problems
It is important that you inform the SHS Team of any health problems your child might have so that the condition can be reviewed. Children with health conditions detected during the screening will be referred to the Student Health Centre. If you wish to take your child to consult your own family doctor, please cancel the appointment at the Student Health Centre.
