Overview
- Coverage in 2024/25 reached 75.5% for girls and 70.5% for boys by year 10, still well below pre‑pandemic levels of around 90%.
- Year 9 uptake ticked up versus 2023/24, with girls up 1.2 percentage points and boys up 2 percentage points.
- Regional gaps persist, with London the lowest for year 10 (61% girls, 56.9% boys) and the East of England the highest (82.8% girls, 78.2% boys).
- Young people who missed school vaccination can get a free single‑dose catch‑up at GP surgeries until their 25th birthday, with stronger immune responses seen when vaccinated before age 16.
- The government plans catch‑up access through community pharmacies in 2026 under the National Cancer Plan, and NHS leaders stress the vaccine’s role in preventing up to 90% of cervical cancers and the continued importance of screening.