To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 19 December 2016 to Question 57356, what proportion of students enrolled at (a) selective and (b) non-selective school and academy sixth forms were eligible for free school meals at academic age 15; and if she will make a statement.
Answered on
27 February 2017
Ten percent of academic age 16-18 year olds who studied their highest qualification in 2014/15 at non-selective schools or academy sixth forms were eligible for free school meals at academic age 15. The equivalent figure for selective schools and selective academy sixth forms was 3 per cent.
These figures are based on those where the FSM status at 15 is known and are sourced from the Department for Education’s Young Person’s Matched Administrative Dataset.
Our recent consultation set out a number of proposals, including removing the ban on creating new selective schools, designed to increase the number and availability of good schools places for all children regardless of their background. As a condition for opening or expanding, we propose that grammar schools will take a proportion of pupils from lower income households.