Summary statistics for attainment, leaver destinations and healthy living, No.6: 2016 Edition
This publication presents post review attainment for 2014/15 school leavers, initial and follow-up school leaver destinations for 2014/15, and information on the healthy living survey taken in February 2016.
5. School Meals
- 37.8% (255,136) of pupils were registered for free school meals (38.7% in 2015).
- Of those registered for free school meals and present on the survey day 81.5% took a free meal (80.1% in 2015).
- Of those pupils present on the survey day 58.1% took a meal (free or paid for) supplied by the school (56.5% in 2015).
5.1 In 2012, a new Healthy Living Survey was introduced which incorporated the old school meals survey and new questions on Physical Education. This is an annual survey, normally collected in February each year, of all publicly funded schools in Scotland. The school meal part of this survey collects information on the uptake of meals, both free and paid for, and registration for and uptake of free school meals. Only meals taken at lunchtime are included. Breakfast clubs are not included.
5.2 Information on levels of free school meal registration and school meal uptake is used to monitor the impact of Scottish Government policies around reducing the impact of deprivation and promoting healthy eating. In recent years, the Government has taken actions intended to increase free school meal uptake. These are:
- The extension of free school meal eligibility to include all children in P1-P3 from January 2015.
- The extension of free school meal eligibility in August 2009 to include children whose parents or carers are in receipt of both maximum child tax credit and maximum working tax credit.
- For the purposes of this collection it is assumed that all P1-P3 pupils are registered for free school meals.
5.3 In 2016, the number of pupils registered for free school meals reduced by 4,305 on the previous year to 255,136 pupils, which is 37.8 per cent of the total school roll. In 2015 38.7% of pupils were registered for free school meals.
5.4 The percentage of pupils present on the survey day who took a meal (free or paid for) supplied by the school increased from 56.5 per cent in 2015 to 58.1 per cent in 2016 (Table 9a). The percentage of P1-P3 pupils present on the survey day who took a free school meal increased from 78.9% in 2015 to 81.7% in 2016, the second year since the extension of free school meals to all P1-P3 pupils was introduced. The total number of P1-P3 pupils taking a free school meal increased by almost 5,000 from 129,674 in 2015 to 134,667 in 2016 (Table 9b).
5.5 In the past, statistics from this survey on the percentage of pupils registered for free school meals have been widely used as a measure of school level deprivation. However, as a result of the extension of free school meals eligibility to all children in P1-P3, launched by the Scottish Government on 5 January 2015, this will no longer be a reliable measure to use. Secondary school data is unaffected by these changes and so it is still possible for this to be used as an indicator of deprivation. However, this has limitations as the percentage of pupils registered falls throughout secondary. It may also be possible to use P4-P7 data as an indicator of deprivation, although there is only comparable data on this from 2015.
Table 9a. Pupils taking school meals (free or paid for) and registered taking free school meals by sector, 2011 to 2016
| 2011 1 | 2012 2 | 2013 3 | 2014 2 | 2015 4,5 | 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils registered for free meals | Total | 131,254 | 130,477 | 130,585 | 126,388 | 259,441 | 255,136 |
| Primary | 82,772 | 81,096 | 81,364 | 77,791 | 213,199 | 212,175 | |
| Secondary | 44,441 | 45,077 | 45,018 | 44,224 | 41,744 | 39,280 | |
| Special | 4,041 | 4,304 | 4,203 | 4,373 | 4,498 | 3,681 | |
| Percentage of pupils registered for free meals | Total | 19.7 | 19.6 | 19.6 | 18.8 | 38.7 | 37.8 |
| Primary | 22.6 | 22.1 | 22.0 | 20.6 | 55.3 | 54.1 | |
| Secondary | 15.2 | 15.4 | 15.5 | 15.5 | 15.0 | 14.2 | |
| Special | 58.2 | 60.6 | 59.4 | 60.7 | 63.0 | 55.7 | |
| Pupils registered and present taking free meals | Total | 93,977 | 97,096 | 97,542 | 95,444 | 192,670 | 194,164 |
| Primary | 65,856 | 66,464 | 65,717 | 63,986 | 162,799 | 166,454 | |
| Secondary | 24,840 | 26,991 | 28,249 | 27,739 | 26,264 | 24,811 | |
| Special | 3,281 | 3,641 | 3,576 | 3,719 | 3,607 | 2,899 | |
| Percentage of registered pupils present taking free meals | Total | 82.3 | 83.6 | 84.2 | 85.0 | 80.1 | 81.5 |
| Primary | 87.6 | 89.0 | 88.4 | 88.7 | 80.5 | 82.7 | |
| Secondary | 69.9 | 71.7 | 74.7 | 76.6 | 76.4 | 73.9 | |
| Special | 95.1 | 94.7 | 94.7 | 94.8 | 90.3 | 89.8 | |
| Pupils present and taking meals (free or paid for) | Total | 294,849 | 301,820 | 305,062 | 313,022 | 353,841 | 365,918 |
| Primary | 180,791 | 186,081 | 186,271 | 192,666 | 237,404 | 246,821 | |
| Secondary | 108,981 | 110,376 | 113,587 | 115,150 | 111,562 | 114,586 | |
| Special | 5,077 | 5,363 | 5,204 | 5,206 | 4,875 | 4,511 | |
| Percentage of those present taking meals (free or paid for) | Total | 47.8 | 48.7 | 49.5 | 49.8 | 56.5 | 58.1 |
| Primary | 51.9 | 53.2 | 53.2 | 53.2 | 64.6 | 66.0 | |
| Secondary | 41.6 | 41.8 | 43.7 | 44.4 | 44.2 | 45.8 | |
| Special | 83.4 | 83.9 | 83.1 | 81.7 | 78.0 | 77.7 |
1. In August 2010, local initiatives increased eligibility for free school meals see background notes 3.3.3 and 3.3.4.
2. In 2012 and 2014, primary school free meal registrations were affected by a reduction in the number of local authorities with local initiatives.
3. In 2013, the Healthy Living Survey was carried out in March due to publicity around the presence of horse meat in some food products.
4. On 5 January 2015, the Scottish Government launched the extension of free school meals eligibility to include all children in P1-P3.
5. Figures on percentage uptake that were originally published were amended in June 2016. See background note 3.3.6 for details.
5.6 Between 2011 and 2014, primary school data was not a reliable indicator of relative deprivation between local authorities due to the local free school meal initiatives for children in P1-P3. However between 2012 and 2014, estimates of national free school meal registrations were calculated in order to provide a reliable measure of deprivation. In 2014, an estimated 76,392 primary pupils were registered for free school meals under national eligibility criteria, equivalent to 20.2 per cent of primary pupils, compared to 20.8 per cent in 2013. See background note 3.3.5 for details.
Table 9b. Primary pupils taking school meals (free or paid for) and registered taking free school meals by sector 2011 to 2016
| 2011 1 | 2012 2 | 2013 3 | 2014 2 | 2015 4,5 | 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils registered for free meals | Total Primary | 82,772 | 81,096 | 81,364 | 77,791 | 213,199 | 212,175 |
| P1-P3 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | 172,284 | 172,912 | |
| P4-P7 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | 40,915 | 39,263 | |
| Percentage of pupils registered for free meals | Total Primary | 22.6 | 22.1 | 22.0 | 20.6 | 55.3 | 54.1 |
| P1-P3 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | 100.0 | 100.0 | |
| P4-P7 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | 19.2 | 17.9 | |
| Pupils registered and present taking free meals | Total Primary | 65,856 | 66,464 | 65,717 | 63,986 | 162,799 | 166,454 |
| P1-P3 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | 129,674 | 134,667 | |
| P4-P7 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | 33,125 | 31,787 | |
| Percentage of registered pupils present taking free meals | Total Primary | 87.6 | 89.0 | 88.4 | 88.7 | 80.5 | 82.7 |
| P1-P3 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | 78.9 | 81.7 | |
| P4-P7 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | 87.5 | 87.3 | |
| Pupils present and taking meals (free or paid for) | Total Primary | 180,791 | 186,081 | 186,271 | 192,666 | 237,404 | 246,821 |
| P1-P3 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | 129,674 | 134,667 | |
| P4-P7 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | 107,730 | 112,154 | |
| Percentage of those present taking meals (free or paid for) | Total Primary | 51.9 | 53.2 | 53.2 | 53.2 | 64.6 | 66.0 |
| P1-P3 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | 78.9 | 81.7 | |
| P4-P7 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | 53.1 | 53.7 |
1. In August 2010, local initiatives increased eligibility for free school meals see background notes 3.3.3 and 3.3.4.
2. In 2012 and 2014, primary school free meal registrations were affected by a reduction in the number of local authorities with local initiatives.
3. In 2013, the Healthy Living Survey was carried out in March due to publicity around the presence of horse meat in some food products.
4. On 5 January 2015, the Scottish Government launched the extension of free school meals eligibility to include all children in P1-P3.
5. Figures on percentage uptake that were originally published were amended in June 2016. See background note 3.3.6 for details.
5.7 As an alternative to using the percentage of pupils registered for free school meals as a measure of deprivation, statistics on the percentage of pupils in each school who live in the 20% most deprived data zones in Scotland are now available in the school contact list: http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Statistics/Browse/School-Education/Datasets/contactdetails
5.8 School meals data by urban/rural classification, size of school and local authority is available in the supplementary tables. A list of the tables available is in the background notes section. School level information on school meals is also available. This can be found at the following address: http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Statistics/Browse/School-Education/SchoolMealsDatasets
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