What % of working families receive free school meals?

[londoncrawling]

And can you link to any articles to prove this?
Fed up of all the benefit bashing I hear about this (am not on benefits and don't get free meals btw but don't grudge parents wanting to give their children food 🙄) and I'm sure I heard that a high percentage of school meals go to low paid working families but can't find any evidence of this. Can anyone help?

I'm not sure that the start you've asked for exists, but I do know it wouldn't be as useful as you seem to think.

Some people receive FSM because parents are working very few hours because that's all they can get.
Some because parents are working very few or no hours because they are carers for the child, siblings, or other family members.
Some because parents are unable to work due to disabilities.
Some because parents choose not to work and live off benefits.

It's the last group of parents that people want to vilify, I'm sure. This group does exist. In every class I've ever taught, I've known three families like this. I'd estimate I've taught about 100 children on FSM. Massively anecdotal, but the reasons for families taking FSM are far, far more likely to be one of the first 3 (I'm sure there are other scenarios too) than the last one.

For the record, I think all of the children deserve the meals. It's not their fault for sure.

I’ve been working in school for a decade. In my experience (deprived coastal towns) there is only ever about 3/30 who are not FSM or Ever Six (not sure if it’s still called that). A lot of the parents work as carers or in supermarkets. Also we have lots of seasonal workers.

It's about 17%, approximately 1 in 6. It does vary by area though, so some of the south east is more like 10-12% and higher in other areas.

We've been doing free school meals this week at work and I've been looking into it a lot!

I never understood what you have to do to qualify; and find it hard to see how "working families" would be entitled to FSMs.
I'm a single parent to 3 DC who works 32 hours a week in a low-paid job. I don't qualify as I get working tax credits?!
When I just split from my ex-H I was earning even less than now (£8000 pa) and applied for FSM and was frankly shocked to find I was apparently too loaded to qualify.
I mean if a household income of £8K is too much, who does qualify?

I think it's very hard for working parents to qualify. I think I heard this week that about 70% of children who are in poverty are from working families, but what you have to then consider is that most of those still wouldn't qualify for FSM. My only criticism of the current campaign is that it doesn't go far enough - there are lots and lots of children in poverty who wouldn't benefit from FSM being available in the holidays, as they don't get them in term time either.

Apparently Rishi Sunak will be announcing something on this on 25 Nov.

I'd be delighted if more families qualify. we are on a low income and might. (I might need to top it up though as have teens who eat a lot at secondary and costs a lot)

(about more working families qualifying, whether or not on UC or not I'm not sure)

I know it's not what you're asking but all infant school children get free school meals. Regardless of their parent's financial situation.

We receive them for DS who is in year 2 even though we are way above the threshold.