Free School Meals
Commons · Question 17467 · Tabled 9 Jul 2026 · Department for Education · Official record
Answered 4 Aug 2026
Question
Asked by Steve Darling
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate they have made of the number of children eligible for free school meals who are not registered to receive them.
Answer
Answered by Paul Waugh, 4 Aug 2026
The department only collects data on pupils who are both eligible for and claiming free school meals. Children not claiming free school meals could be eligible or ineligible to claim them. As a result, no recent estimate has been made of the number of chi...