Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many children currently qualify for free school meals under (a) household benefit entitlement and (b) universal infant free school meals; and how many children living in households with an income of less than £16,190 are not eligible for free school meals because their parents are in receipt of working tax credit.

The Department for Education does not collect specific data on family benefits or income; this would require analysis from the Department for Work and Pensions and Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs.

1.4 million infants took a lunch on the January 2016 census day under the universal infant free school meals policy[1]. This is published and available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/schools-pupils-and-their-characteristics-january-2016.

[1] National tables: SFR20/2016, table 3d. Number of Infant Pupils who took a lunch on census day (column E) minus Number of Infant Pupils Eligible for and claiming free school meals (column J)