Question to the Department for Education:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their definition of disadvantaged in relation to school children.

The department defines disadvantaged pupils as those who are recorded as claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years, those pupils in the care of an English local authority, and those pupils who have left care in England or Wales through adoption, a special guardianship order or child arrangements order.

The department recognises that other pupils face challenges in realising their potential at school. It encourages school leaders to exercise their autonomy when deciding how to provide extra support, particularly through the pupil premium, so that the needs of other pupil groups, such as those in touch with a social worker and young carers, may be addressed.