Number of Manchester children on free school meals rises by 14 pc in 18 months

The number of children in Manchester who are eligible for free school meals has risen by nearly 14 pc in 18 months as the total topped 38,000 last year. More than two in five children in the city were entitled to free school meals in May 2022 when the last school census was completed by Manchester council.

The total number of children eligible for free school meals stood at 38,584 according to the latest data, around 4,700 more than it was in January 2021. To be eligible in England, a household must earn less than £7,400 a year after tax and not including benefits, regardless of the number of children in a family.

The figures of free school meals are often used as a measure of child poverty and also affects how much government funding schools will receive each year. The cost of living crisis, which is expected to continue squeezing low-income families, could be a factor contributing to the recent rise in the figures locally.

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However, changes have been made to the way the council identifies who is eligible to minimise under reporting and maximise the funding schools get. The government also introduced new rules during the roll out of Universal Credit which means children who have become eligible for free school meals since April 2018 will remain so regardless of their circumstances changing.

This will remain in place for those children until the end of their current phase of education, but soon it will no longer apply to children who become eligible. Manchester has seen a 'steady' rise in the number of children eligible for free school meals since October 2018 when a new online checker was launched.

National eligibility averages