Question reference: S5W-36224
- Date lodged: 12 March 2021
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Current status: Answered by John Swinney on 19 March 2021
Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many P1 to P3 pupils in Dundee receive free school meals, and how many it estimates will receive them following the roll-out to P4 to P7 pupils.
Answer
The Schools Healthy Living Survey Statistics Report for 2020 showed that there were 4,172 children in primaries 1 to 3 present at school on the day the census was taken and 3,008 of those children took a free school meal. This represents an uptake rate of 72.1%.
The proposal to expand provision of universal free school meals in primaries 4 to 7 is intended for all pupils who attend primary school. The latest published data, obtained from the Pupil Census 2020 Supplementary Statistics, shows that there were 6,150 children in primaries 4 to 7 at primary schools across the Dundee City Council area.