Child Health Assessment Form

Please answer all the questions. You don't have to submit the answers, this is just to help you prepare for your child going to school.

As you answer each question, more information and advice will appear on the page depending on your answer so that you can explore topics in more detail and then come back to the question.

If you have any concerns and want to talk to somebody about any issues that are raised during the self-assessment there are contact details at the end of the assessment so please get in touch.

Here's some helpful advice to help you keep your child's teeth healthy:

• A regular teeth-cleaning routine is essential for good dental health. Follow these tips and you can help keep your kids' teeth decay-free.
• Brush at least twice daily for about 2 minutes with fluoride toothpaste.
• Brush last thing at night before bed and at least on 1 other occasion.
• Brushing should be supervised by a parent or carer.
• Use children's fluoride toothpaste containing no less than 1,000ppm of fluoride (check label) or family toothpaste containing between 1,350ppm and 1,500ppm fluoride.
• Use only a pea-sized amount of toothpaste.
• Spit out after brushing and don't rinse – if you rinse, the fluoride won't work as well.

Please visit the NHS website "Find a Dentist" service for information on getting registered with a dentist in your area.

NHS dental care for children is free.

• When you visit the dentist, be positive about it and make the trip fun. This will stop your child worrying about future visits.
• Take your child for regular dental checks as advised by the dentist.

Vaccination is the most important thing we can do to protect ourselves and our children against ill health. They prevent up to 3 million deaths worldwide every year.

Since vaccines were introduced in the UK, diseases like smallpox, polio and tetanus that used to kill or disable millions of people are either gone or seen very rarely.

Other diseases like measles and diphtheria have been reduced by up to 99.9% since their vaccines were introduced.

However, if people stop having vaccines, it's possible for infectious diseases to quickly spread again.

To check which vaccinations (sometimes called immunisations) your child should have had please visit the NHS website.

If you are not sure which ones your child has had, please contact your GP.

Thank you for having done that as your school will be able to offer you and your child appropriate support.

Please contact your child's school and inform them of the health problem/disability so they can offer you and your child the appropriate support.

You can find advice and guidance on the Locala website.

For advice click here.

For advice click here.

The NHS recommends vision screening for all children aged 4 to 5 years. This sight test identifies children with reduced vision in one or both eyes and aims to detect any problems early so your child can receive effective treatment. Your child will have their vision screened as part of the school entry health screening. You will receive a letter with the result and if any further action required.

Public Health England has produced a handy guide to the vision screening - you can access the leaflet by clicking here.

You can get more help and support by filling in our referral form. To do this, click the 'Support Request' button near the top of this page.

There are a number of reasons why a child may have a hearing problem, including temporary hearing loss from a common illness such as a cold.

Some possible causes of hearing loss that may be detected during routine tests include:

• glue ear – a build-up of fluid in the middle ear, which is common in young children
• infections that develop in the womb or at birth, such as rubella or cytomegalovirus, which can cause progressive hearing loss
• inherited conditions, such as otosclerosis, which stop the ears or nerves from working properly
• damage to the cochlear or auditory nerves (which transmit hearing signals to the brain); this could be caused by a severe head injury, exposure to loud noise or head surgery, for example
• being starved of oxygen at birth (birth asphyxia) illnesses such as meningitis and encephalitis (which both involve swelling in the brain)

Signs of a possible hearing problem can include:

• inattentiveness or poor concentration
• not responding when their name is called
• talking loudly and listening to the television at a high volume
• difficulty pinpointing where a sound is coming from mispronouncing words
• a change in their progress at school

Here's the third and final part of the self-assessment - this section looks at some emotional health and wellbeing concerns that many parents have about their children.

If you have concerns about a particular issue you'll find links to advice and guidance to support you and your child.

In general, a 5-year-old may be able to exhibit much more self-control than a toddler, and most children this age will be able to sit for periods of time in a classroom and listen to a teacher's instructions.

At the same time, a child this age is still learning to regulate their emotions, and will still be prone to meltdowns over something as small as a spilled glass of milk.

Key Milestones

Your child can:

• be separated from a parent or carer without becoming excessively upset
• play and share with other children
• do a task given to them by an adult for at least five minutes.

Some emotional health and well being issues - and links to help and guidance

For general help and advice on your child's emotional health and wellbeing visit the Locala website.

• Going to the toilet
• Behaviour
• Bedwetting (also known as nocturnal enuresis) affects around half a million children and teenagers in the UK. It's an issue families can find very isolating and difficult to talk about openly. It can take a huge toll on family life and affect kid's self-esteem and emotional well-being. The good news is you don't need to wait until children grow out of bedwetting - treatment is available and recommended from the age of 5 years.

Daytime wetting is anything from damp patches in your child’s pants to a full-blown wee accident. Our expert information can help children stop wetting.

Children wetting themselves during the day is very common: one in seven children aged four and one in 20 children aged nine are affected.

Please access the ERIC website for useful links for parents and children to help manage day time or night time wetting.

If you would like additional support with this please refer to Locala 0-19 service by clicking the 'Support Referral' button on the top of this page.

At this age, children develop quickly, as they gain greater awareness of themselves and the world around them:

They have reached some level of self-control and are now able to use words to express what they want. Children become more independent and can follow a series of simple instructions.

Self-confidence grows and children learn to challenge authority and test the limits of their independence.

Separation anxiety has usually faded away, but it is still quite possible that they will dissolve into tears when first setting off to school.

A child’s imagination begins to develop between the ages of three and a half to four years, and they may have frightening dreams. Their biggest fear is that their parent or carer will abandon them, especially at night. Other fears can also set in, for example fear of the dark or spiders.

At this stage, children are more able to enjoy playing on their own. They also become more interested in other children and begin to interact more directly with them. They are now more likely to share toys and take turns, initiate or join in play with other children and begin dramatic play.

Between four and five years of age, children show more awareness of themselves as individuals. They have a developing awareness of their own needs, views and feelings and are sensitive to the needs, views and feelings of others.

Thank you for completing the questionnaire, we hope you found it useful. If you need to speak to one of our Locala 0-19 Service about any of the issues raised please contact us via the number or referral form on this website.

The answers to your questions are not saved by us, this self-assessment is purely to help you prepare your child for school.