The research from Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) and Covid Realities shows that 36 per cent of all school-aged children living in poverty in the UK are not entitled to a free meal at school.
The analysis shows that despite a rise in the number of children claiming free school meals between March 2020 and March 2021, restrictive eligibility criteria still prevents many in poverty from accessing any form of free school meal provision.
The proportion of children not receiving free meals varies across all four nations of the UK.
Wales and England have the highest rates of children missing out with figures standing at 42 and 37 per cent respectively.
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