All children under the age of nine will be offered the flu jab for free next year, health officials have ordered.
The new Government guidance follows the brutal outbreak that swept the UK this winter that was shown to be the worst in seven years.
Youngsters in year five will be added onto the list of children who receive the vaccine, which is administered as a nasal spray, on the NHS for the first time.
The move has been signed by the heads of NHS England, Public Health England and the Department of Health and Social Care.
Youngsters between two and eight, or year four, are offered the nasal spray vaccine each year since the NHS launched a programme in 2013.
Nearly two million children across England received the jab between September and January this year, according to health service figures.
But the new scheme will see roughly 600,000 more children offered the vaccine, which protects against four strains of flu.
New Government guidance follows the brutal outbreak that swept the UK that was shown to be the worst in seven years
The document reads: ‘The last season’s higher level of flu activity is an important reminder that flu can have a significant impact and is highly unpredictable.
‘This year saw record flu vaccination levels, with nearly one and a half million more people getting the vaccination than last year.’
The guidance, which has been sent to all GPs and pharmacists, added: ‘We should strive to further improve vaccine uptake rates in all eligible cohorts next year.’
It was signed by chief medical officer Dame Sally Davies, director of Public Health England, Professor Paul Cosford, and NHS England director Professor Stephen Powls.
Officials have also recommended next winter the over-65s are given a new trivalent vaccine, which protects against two A strains and one B strain.
The injection, called Fluad, has been used by other European countries for the last 20 years. It costs £9.79 – more than the £8 quadrivalent jab.
However, the quadrivalent jab offers protection against one extra strain of influenza B, which will be another type of ‘Japanese’ or ‘Phuket’ flu.
PHE figures show nearly 7.5 million over-65s received their free flu jab this winter.
This means the NHS will spend around £13.4 million more on giving at-risk patients the new jab, if the same amount of people are vaccinated.
However, the vaccine will only protect against H1N1, H3N2 and a B strain called ‘Colorado’, meaning another strain could cause havoc.
Concerned medics recently blamed similar cost-cutting measures on fuelling the winter crisis, which Jeremy Hunt admitted was the ‘worst ever’.
Leaked documents obtained during the winter months suggested GPs were put under pressure to purchase the cheaper jabs.
It came amid reports of crisis conditions at NHS hospitals, with the number of confirmed deaths recorded in January from all causes so far reaching 55,964 – almost 13 per cent above average.
According to the Office for National Statistics the majority of deaths were among the elderly, although it will be months before it is confirmed how many succumbed to flu.
All adults over the age of 65, pregnant women, carers and any adults or infants with weakened immune systems will still be given the flu vaccine on the NHS.
Others will have to go private to get vaccinated.
The flu season in the UK and the rest of the Northern Hemisphere tends to mirror what has happened in Australia and the Southern Hemisphere.
The same strains of the virus will circulate north in time for the British flu season, which typically begins in November and lasts until March.
Flu viruses are constantly changing proteins on their surface to avoid detection by the body’s immune system – making it more deadly.