Free School Meals (FSM) trends across the UK
Analysis period: 2020-09-11 to 2025-07-14
National overview
Student-weighted FSM percentage changed from 16.71% to 23.94% between 2020-09-11 and 2025-07-14.
| Date | FSM % |
|---|---|
| 2020-09-11 | 16.71% |
| 2021-09-11 | 19.75% |
| 2022-09-11 | 21.22% |
| 2023-09-11 | 21.22% |
| 2024-09-11 | 23.00% |
| 2025-07-14 | 23.94% |
Top 10 increases by Local Authority
| Local authority | Then | Now | Δ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manchester | 29.53% | 43.52% | 13.99% |
| Newham | 20.07% | 33.99% | 13.92% |
| Birmingham | 29.18% | 42.28% | 13.10% |
| Wolverhampton | 27.74% | 40.22% | 12.48% |
| Islington | 31.57% | 43.66% | 12.09% |
| Sandwell | 24.53% | 36.42% | 11.88% |
| Southampton | 23.49% | 35.31% | 11.81% |
| Enfield | 19.59% | 30.98% | 11.38% |
| Oldham | 21.43% | 32.76% | 11.33% |
| Tameside | 22.23% | 33.30% | 11.07% |
Top 10 decreases by Local Authority
| Local authority | Then | Now | Δ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pre-LGR 2019 Poole | 16.99% | 16.99% | 0.00% |
| Pre-LGR 2019 Dorset | 15.03% | 15.03% | 0.00% |
| Pre-LGR 2019 Bournemouth | 11.68% | 11.68% | 0.00% |
| Does not apply | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% |
| Monmouthshire | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% |
| BFPO Overseas Establishments | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% |
| Gibraltar Overseas Establishments | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% |
| Guernsey Offshore Establishments | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% |
| Isle of Man Offshore Establishments | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% |
| Jersey Offshore Establishments | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% |