§ Mrs. LaingTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many pupils at(a)primary and (b)secondary level qualified for free school meals in each of the last seven years. [48223]
§ Mr. TimmsThe available information is shown in the table.
Pupils eligible for free school meals in maintained primary and secondary schools in England—day pupils1 Number known to be eligible for free school meals Number on roll Percentage known to be eligible for free school meals Primary 1995 956,497 4,312,072 22.2 1996 974,281 4,389,311 22.2 1997 938,542 4,428,616 21.2 1998 886,069 4,460,128 19.9 1999 848,173 4,460,171 19.0 2000 816,994 4,435,343 18.4 2001 779,307 4,406,187 17.7 Secondary 1995 539,438 2,988,954 18.0 1996 550,902 3,006,938 18.3 1997 552,903 3,036,994 18.2 1998 537,073 3,069,029 17.5 1999 527,339 3,118,277 16.9 2000 523,630 3,177,998 16.5 2001 509,676 3,226,973 15.8 1Excludes boarding pupils Source:
Annual Schools' Census