Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of how many children are entitled to but not registered to receive free school meals.

The latest research carried out by the Department for Education indicates that under-registration for free school meals fell from 14% (197,700) in 2012 to 11% (161,400) in 2013. The research is available at: www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/266339/DFE-RR319.pdf

The January 2015 census data was published in the department’s 2015 Schools, Pupils and their Characteristics statistical first release (June 2015), available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/schools-pupils-and-their-characteristics-january-2015. The relevant statistics are at Table 3d of the underlying national data tables.

Pupil premium funding is based on whether pupils have been registered for benefits-related free school meals at any point in the last six years and not only those who are currently registered.