The number of pupils eligible for free school meals in England has risen to almost 1.9 million, an increase of almost a third since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Department for Education said the 9 per cent increase in eligibility between January 2021 and 2022 was “is in line with those increases seen prior to the pandemic”, following a much larger 21 per cent increase between 2020 and 2021.
Taken together, the two increases since January 2020 mean that over 450,000 more pupils, are now eligible for free school meals, a rise of 32 per cent over two years.
