Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of children who were eligible for free school meals did not take up their entitlement in 2021.

The latest data on the number and proportion of pupils claiming free school meals (FSM) shows that around 1.9 million pupils are currently claiming FSM. This equates to 22.5% of all pupils. The data is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/schools-pupils-and-their-characteristics-january-2022.

The department does not conduct annual data collection on the level of take-up of FSM among eligible pupils. However, a study conducted in 2013 showed a take-up level of approximately 89%. The study can be accessed at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pupils-not-claiming-free-school-meals-2013.