Back to school newsletter

Dear teachers,

We hope your new school year has begun well!

This is a great time to refresh those important health and hygiene habits. e-Bug offers a range of free, curriculum-aligned resources that make it easy and engaging to teach topics such as microbes, hand hygiene, oral health and antibiotics. 

From understanding how infections spread and the importance of handwashing, to practising effective toothbrushing and learning about the responsible use of antibiotics, our resources give children and young people the knowledge they need to make positive health choices.

New Resources on e-Bug

Discover our new e-Bug resources

We recently published two free resources that can support both curriculum delivery and school club provision while helping to reduce staff planning time.

🦠 Germ Busters Academy

Germ Busters Academy is a free activity pack for school clubs, after-school clubs, wraparound care and holiday clubs.

Through fun, interactive activities, children learn about germs, hygiene, infection prevention and healthy habits in an engaging and age-appropriate way. The pack includes ready-to-use activities and facilitator guidance, requires minimal preparation and equipment, and can be delivered flexibly across a range of school club settings.

Piloted with after-school clubs, the resource received positive feedback for being engaging, practical and well suited to extracurricular provision. Explore Germ Busters Academy

🦟 New Vector and Vector-borne Diseases resources

Developed in collaboration with primary and secondary teachers and trialled in schools across England, these classroom-ready resources support curriculum topics already taught in geography, science and PSHE, including climate change, environmental change, disease prevention, ecosystems and global interconnectedness. 

The resources include ready-to-use lesson plans, teacher guidance, curriculum and GCSE exam links, interactive presentations and animations, hands-on activities, student worksheets, answer sheets and a curriculum mapping document showing how the resources align with the statutory programmes of study and relevant schemes of work. Explore the new Vector and Vector-borne Diseases resources below:

KS1 | KS2 | KS3 | KS4

Competition time 🎨

Here’s a chance for your school and students to win prizes, and the opportunity for student artwork to be displayed on the e-Bug website!

We are excited to invite Key Stage 4 students to take part in the World Antimicrobial Awareness Week (WAAW) Creative Challenge, hosted by e-Bug. Students can demonstrate their creativity through digital or physical artwork such as posters, cartoons, drawings and paintings that raise awareness about responsible use of antibiotics and knowledge of antimicrobial resistance (AMR).

The challenge of the theme: What can we all do to help protect antibiotics?

Head to our downloadable teacher pack for more information, including classroom resources to help you integrate the challenge into your curriculum and submission guidance to get involved! 

By taking part, students will learn how everyday choices, like using medicines responsibly can help preserve the power of antibiotics for future generations.

See last year's winning poster below!

🗓️ Deadline for entries: Sunday 22nd November  

 Why it matters:

AMR occurs when bacteria and other microbes evolve and no longer respond to the medicines designed to kill them. This makes infections harder to treat and increases the risk of disease spread, severe illness and death.  If we lose the effectiveness of antibiotics we risk returning to a time when simple illnesses were deadly.

Let’s empower students to become AMR champions through creativity. We hope you will join us in spreading this vital message.

Curriculum-relevant public health campaigns

Global handwashing day, 15th October

 This year’s theme is “Be a Handwashing Hero!” Encourage your pupils to become handwashing heroes by learning how and when to wash their hands effectively. Explore e-Bug’s free hand hygiene resources and activities to support learning in your classroom. Download and display our hand washing poster near sinks to remind students of the six simple steps of hand washing!

International Infection Prevention Week

19th – 25th October

This year’s theme is “Generations of Infection Prevention | Past. Present. Protected.” The week highlights the importance of infection prevention and the role we can all play in protecting ourselves and our communities from infections.

This is a great opportunity to engage students on how to stop infections spreading this coming winter. Create that WOW moment in your classroom with the infamous snot gun experiment – loved by students of all ages.

News items

Coming soon!

The updated RSHE statutory guidance now requires secondary schools in England to teach students about vaccination, antimicrobial resistance (AMR), and the responsible use of antibiotics. As these new curriculum requirements are introduced, teachers will need access to high-quality, evidence-based resources to support lesson delivery.

To help meet this need, e-Bug and the PSHE Association have co-produced a brand-new set of curriculum-linked teaching resources, developed to meet PSHE Association quality standards. The free resources will support educators in teaching students about AMR, including how bacteria can become resistant to antibiotics and why antibiotics should be used responsibly.

The resources will be available from October 2026.Visit the e-Bug website to access the materials and support your planning for the new RSHE curriculum.

Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) Training for Early Years and Educational Settings

This autumn/winter, we will be launching a new IPC Training for teachers and staff working in Early Years and other educational settings.

Designed to be flexible and completed online at your own pace, the training provides practical guidance on infection prevention, hygiene practices, and managing infectious disease outbreaks. Through real-life examples and supporting resources, participants will be better equipped to help keep children, staff, and educational settings safe and healthy. Whether you are a childminder or work in a nursery, preschool, school, college, or other educational settings, this training offers practical approaches to strengthening IPC practices in everyday settings.

Keep an eye out for the launch of this free online resource later this year.

Have your say!

We would love to hear from you!

What do you need from e-Bug to support your teaching? Are there any resources, materials, or guidance you wish we offered? Whether it’s lesson plans, classroom activities, or training support, get in contact and let us know.