Childhood vaccination series (age 1 to 15) on the NHS schedule

The NHS publishes a single vaccination schedule for babies, children and adults. For children aged 1 to 15 years it lists the vaccines below. Some doses depend on the child’s date of birth because the schedule has recently changed, so the dates shown are those given on the NHS page at the time of retrieval and your GP surgery will confirm what applies to your child.

The NHS says the MMRV vaccine helps protect children against measles, mumps, rubella (German measles) and chickenpox, which spread very easily between people and can lead to serious problems including meningitis, inflammation of the brain (encephalitis), pneumonia and hearing loss. MMRV has replaced the MMR vaccine in the NHS schedule, although MMR is still available for older children and adults born on or before 31 December 2019 who were not vaccinated when younger.

The number and timing of doses depend on when the child was born. For example, children born on or after 1 January 2025 have one dose at 12 months and one at 18 months, while children born between 1 September 2022 and 30 June 2024 have one dose at 3 years 4 months. The NHS says some older children who have not had chickenpox or the chickenpox vaccine will be offered a dose between 1 November 2026 and 31 March 2028, and that the GP will make contact nearer the time.

MMRV is a live vaccine. The NHS says it is not given to a child with a severely weakened immune system or who has had a serious allergic reaction to an ingredient such as gelatine or neomycin, and that a child with a high temperature may need to wait until they feel better.

The NHS describes the 4-in-1 pre-school booster as protecting against diphtheria, polio, tetanus and whooping cough and boosting the protection from the 6-in-1 vaccine. It is recommended at 3 years and 4 months, before children start school, as a single dose.

If it is missed, the NHS says to contact the GP surgery, and that children can still have it up to the age of 10. Most children can have it; the reasons they cannot are a serious allergic reaction to an earlier dose of a vaccine against these illnesses or to an ingredient. Most side effects are mild and settle within a few days, and include swelling or pain where the injection was given, tiredness or irritability, a high temperature and headache.

The NHS vaccinations page lists the children’s flu vaccine as being for most children, to help stop them catching or spreading flu, and the schedule offers it every year from age 2 until they finish Year 11. Children aged 6 months to 17 years with long-term health conditions are also offered the flu vaccine every year.

Your child’s school or GP surgery will tell you how it is organised in your area.

The NHS says the HPV vaccine is recommended for children aged 12 to 13 (school year 8), usually given at secondary school, to reduce the chance of getting human papillomavirus, which is linked to cervical, mouth, anal, penile, vulval and vaginal cancers and genital warts. People under 25 usually have 1 dose, and if the vaccine was missed, it remains available for girls aged 24 and under and for boys born after 1 September 2006 up to their 25th birthday.

The Td/IPV vaccine, also called the 3-in-1 teenage booster, is given around 13 or 14 years (school year 9) and protects against tetanus, diphtheria and polio; it boosts protection from the 6-in-1 vaccine and 4-in-1 booster. The MenACWY vaccine is also given around 13 or 14 and helps protect against 4 types of bacteria linked to meningitis and sepsis. The NHS says it can be given up to the age of 25 if missed, and that most people need only 1 dose. The two can be given at the same time.

Across these vaccines the NHS describes mostly mild and short-lived side effects: pain, swelling or redness where the injection was given, a high temperature, headache, tiredness and feeling irritable or sick. More serious reactions, such as a severe allergic reaction (anaphylaxis), are very rare and usually happen within minutes, and the person who vaccinates your child is trained to deal with them immediately.

The NHS says you can give children’s paracetamol to ease symptoms, checking the packaging or leaflet to make sure it is suitable. It says to wait until feeling better before a vaccine if there is a high temperature, but that children who are unwell without a high temperature can often still have the vaccines, and to check with a GP, nurse or health visitor if unsure.

The NHS says to speak to your GP surgery if you think you or your child have missed any vaccinations or have missed an appointment, because the surgery can arrange a new appointment. It is best to have vaccines on time, but you can still catch up on most vaccines if you miss them.

For young people starting college or university, the NHS stresses making sure vaccines are up to date, including MenACWY and two doses of MMR, because mumps and measles outbreaks occur at universities, and the HPV vaccine if not already had.