Thousands more children in the North East are becoming eligible for free school meals – with kids in some areas among the most likely to get them in England.
A teaching union says it’s “shocking” numbers needing state-funded lunches continue to rise but warns they’re still not reaching all those who need them.
The region had 115,762 state school pupils eligible for free school meals (FSMs) this January, Department for Education (DfE) data shows. That was up from the 108,822 counted the previous year and well above the 71,358 recorded in 2016, the earliest year with available figures.
