Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent estimate he has made of the number of pupils who are eligible but unregistered for free school meals.

The department is determined to give every child, regardless of their background, the very best start in life. Free school meals (FSM) are key to this and we want all parents whose children are entitled to them, to apply for them. Under-registration for FSM runs at around 11% (roughly 100,000 children).

We want to make sure as many eligible pupils as possible are claiming their FSM, and to make it as simple as possible for schools and local authorities to determine eligibility. We provide an Eligibility Checking System to make the checking process as quick and straightforward as possible for schools and local authorities. We have developed a model registration form to help schools encourage parents to sign up for FSM. We also provide 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.