Labour responds to data showing free school meals pupils were 1.3 times more likely to be off school in the Autumn Term

Kate Green MP, Labour’s Shadow Education Secretary, responding to new data showing pupils on free school meals were 1.3 times more likely to be off school in the Autumn Term than their peers, said:

“The Conservatives have abandoned children on free school meals and are letting their learning fall further behind their peers.

“Their woeful catch-up plans - which even their own expert adviser described as 'feeble' - are utterly insufficient to help children recover the education and socialising they've missed.

“Labour’s Children’s Recovery Plan would give every child new opportunities and learning support, with targeted academic help for those who’ve missed out the most. It’s time for the Government to match Labour’s ambition for our children and their futures.”

Ends

Notes to Editors

Pupil absence additional data: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/139c1843-e14e-4dac-b082-8e96f4e6e1c3

• Pupils eligible for FSM had 8.5% of sessions recorded as not attending in circumstances related to coronavirus, compared to 6.6% for pupils not eligible for FSM.

This is equivalent to 1.3 times more likely to be off school.

• 24.1% of FSM eligible pupils were persistently absent in Autumn 2020, compared to 9.6% of pupils not eligible for FSM. In Autumn 2019 the rates were 23.8% and 10.5%.