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<p>This government has extended eligibility for free school meals (FSM) several times
and to more groups of children than any other government over the past half a century,
most notably through the introduction of universal infant free school meals (UIFSM)
FSM in 2014. The result of this is that over a third of pupils in England now receive
free meals, compared with one in six in 2010.</p><p>The department monitors data on
the number of pupils who are eligible for FSM, including estimates for future years,
but no formal assessment has been made on the number of children eligible for FSM
in 2024 and 2025. The department publishes statistics annually which show that over
2 million pupils are currently eligible for FSM. This is an increase from 1.1 million
eligible pupils in 2018, when extensive transitional protections were first introduced.</p><p>Protections
ensure that children in receipt of FSM will not lose access to this entitlement until
at least March 2025, even if their household’s financial circumstances improve. The
department does not plan to formally assess the number of children who would no longer
be eligible for FSM, in the absence of the protections policy.</p><p>The department
has always been clear that a child is only eligible for FSM if their family meets
the eligibility criteria at the point of applying for FSM. The result may be that
in some cases for children in the same household, some may be eligible for FSM whilst
others are not. The department does not plan to make an estimate of this figure.</p><p>Further
information is available at: <a href="https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-pupils-and-their-characteristics#dataBlock-2f5a67c4-6e66-414a-a926-f959d8b6443a-tables"
target="_blank">https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-pupils-and-their-characteristics#dataBlock-2f5a67c4-6e66-414a-a926-f959d8b6443a-tables</a>.</p>
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