Revealed: the number of children in Stockport eligible for free school meals
Stockport is below the national average for pupils eligible for free school meals.
That's according to new figures released by the Department for Education.
Nationally, the number of pupils eligible for free school meals has increased to 25.7 percent (up from 24.6 percent in 2024).
However, in Stockport, 21.6 percent of pupils are eligible.
It's considerably lower than the Manchester borough area, where 47.2 percent of pupils are eligible; in fact, Manchester has the highest average in the country.
Stockport is also low compared with other Greater Manchester areas, such as Salford (36.3 pc), Tameside (35.1 pc) and Oldham (34.3 pc).
However, from September 2026, more students will be eligible as the government looks to roll out free school meals for a further 500,000 students; any child whose parents receive Universal Credit will be able to receive free meals.
An estimated 17,000 children in Stockport are set to benefit from this change.
Prime minister Sir Keir Starmer said: "Feeding more children every day, for free, is one of the biggest interventions we can make to put more money in parents' pockets, tackle the stain of poverty, and set children up to learn.
"This expansion is a truly historic moment for our country."
Responding to the announcement, Cheadle Lib Dem MP Tom Morrison said: "For years families have had to choose between heating or eating, just to make sure their child had food for a school lunch. That should never have happened."
Hazel Grove MP Lisa Smart added: "Today is a victory for so many families and passionate campaigners and we're so glad the Government has finally listened to Liberal Democrat pressure.
"Thanks to the efforts of thousands of supporters, over 17,000 children in Stockport are finally on track to receive the meals they need and deserve.
"But this can't be the finish line. The next step must be automatic registration for those entitled to free school meals, cutting the cost of school uniforms and crucially, ending the two-child benefit cap. We'll keep pushing until no child is left behind."
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