Free school meals: How many children can claim them?

The cook Jamie Oliver wants the authorities to widen escaped schoolhouse meals to each children surviving successful households connected Universal Credit.

The authorities said it would support eligibility criteria nether review.

But however galore pupils presently qualify?

In England and Wales, children aged 4 to 16 are eligible for escaped schoolhouse meals if they unrecorded successful a household which gets income-related benefits (such arsenic universal credit) and has an yearly income of little than £7,400 aft tax, not including payment payments.

But astir 40% of cosmopolitan recognition claimants person jobs. So you tin person the benefit, but gain much than the threshold, meaning your children don't suffice for escaped schoolhouse meals.

The income headdress is £7,920 successful Scotland, and £14,000 successful Northern Ireland.

In England, each babe authorities schoolhouse pupils (Reception to Y2) tin person escaped schoolhouse meals during word clip - careless of household income.

That represents a 9% summation from 2021, erstwhile 1.74 cardinal pupils were eligible.

But the immense bulk (1.3 million) qualified nether the cosmopolitan escaped schoolhouse repast proviso for younger pupils.

Follow these links to use for escaped schoolhouse meals in:

The proportionality of eligible children varies considerably crossed the country, but mostly matches determination information astir deprivation and wealth.

For example, much than a 4th of pupils surviving successful the north-east of England qualify, compared with astir 17% of pupils successful the south-east.

The highest proportionality of eligible students - much than a 3rd - successful England is in:

Meanwhile, the lowest proportionality - less than 1 successful 10 - is in:

For example, much than 60% of Irish Traveller pupils are eligible for escaped schoolhouse meals.

Roma/Gypsy, Bangladeshi and achromatic pupils besides person disproportionately precocious eligibility.

Relative poorness is calculated by taking the median income - that's the income wherever fractional of each households gain much and fractional gain little - and past looking astatine however galore children unrecorded successful households earning little than 60% of this.

A household could gain beneath this threshold, but inactive not suffice for benefits which would adjacent escaped schoolhouse meals.

Both comparative poorness and escaped schoolhouse repast eligibility are measurements of income alternatively than nutrient insecurity - though the 2 are intimately linked.

In the UK, determination is nary azygous measurement for hunger.

Another indicator of hunger is nutrient slope use.

This was an summation of 14% compared to the erstwhile year. Almost 40% of these parcels went to households with children.