Four in 10 pupils in Stoke-on-Trent are eligible for free school meals, new figures show. The data showing the number of pupils eligible for the benefit in each area ranges from 47.2 per cent in Manchester to around one in 10 in Wokingham in Berkshire and just three per cent on the Isles of Scilly.

In Stoke-on-Trent, 16,552 children - or 39.9 per cent - are entitled to the meals. The figures are for January 2025 and have been published by the Department for Education taking into account upper-tier local authorities.

To qualify in Stoke-on-Trent, a child can qualify if their parent or guardian receives Income Support, income-based Jobseeker's Allowance, income-related Employment and Support Allowance, support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999, the guaranteed element

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