Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the number of children who are eligible for free school meals but who have not applied for them.

The latest published statistics show that around 1.9 million pupils are claiming benefits related free school meals (FSM). This equates to 22.5% of all pupils, up from 20.8% in 2021. Together with a further 1.25 million infants supported through the Universal Infant Free School Meal policy, over one third of pupils receive a free meal in school.

The Department’s last estimate is that take up is around 89% of those who are entitled.

The Department provided an Eligibility Checking System to make the checking process as quick and straightforward as possible for schools and Local Authorities. The Department has also developed a model registration form to help schools encourage parents to sign up for FSM and provided guidance to Jobcentre Plus advisers so that they can make Universal Credit recipients aware that they may also be entitled to wider benefits, including FSM.