HC Deb 28 July 1975 vol 896 c357W
Mr. Andrew F. Bennett

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will list in the Official Report the numbers and percentage of children claiming free school meals for each year from 1950.

Miss Joan Lestor

The following table shows the number of pupils at maintained schools in England and Wales who received free school dinners on a day in the autumn term each year since 1956 and the percentage which these pupils represented of the number of pupils in attendance. Figures for the years before 1956 are not available.

Year Number of pupils receiving free dinners (000s) Percentage of pupils in attendance receiving free dinners
1956 216 3.4
1957 218 3.5
1958 238 3.7
1959 254 3.9
1960 247 3.8
1961 238 3.6
1962 260 4.0
1963 289 4.5
1964 281 4.3
1965 308 4.6
1966 330 4.8
1967 404 5.8
1968* 841 11.7
1969 594 8.0
1970 627 8.3
1971 805 10.3
1972 850 10.7
1973 795 9.7
1974 750 9.1
* The high figures for 1968 reflect the concession, withdrawn after a year, under which all fourth and subsequent children in a family had entitlement to free school dinners.

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