Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment she has made about the potential relationship between free school meals and educational attainment in Ashfield constituency.

The department does not routinely assess the relationship between free school meals (FSM) and educational attainment at individual constituency level. However, pupils in Ashfield who are eligible for FSM benefit from the same national programmes and support as eligible pupils elsewhere in England.

Pupils eligible for FSM have lower attainment on average than their peers across the education system. This outcome is evident across the country regardless of region. Evidence shows that access to nutritious school meals is linked to higher attainment, improved behaviour, and better concentration.