Free meal students perform far worse

Dec 4 2008 by Oliver Clay, Runcorn and Widnes Weekly News

HALTON children aged between five and seven who qualify for free school meals perform drastically worse in school than their more well-off peers.

Government figures just released and which use the take up of free school meals and other factors as indicators, show the percentage of pupils who achieve Key Stage 1, Level 2, on the National Curriculum for different subjects.

The statistics show that the divide between those on free school meals and those with paid-for meals is more severe for boys than girls.

Just 51% of the 676 Halton boys aged five-seven on FSM can read at the expected standard, compared to 80% who eat paid-for meals.

This figure is the worst in the North West and the second worst in England. The worst is Wokingham, Berkshire, on 47%.

According to the figures, fewer boys on FSM can read compared with Halton children for whom English is a second language: 69% of these children achieve Level 2.

The situation is the same with writing, with 52% of boys on FSM making the grade and 63% children who do not speak English as a first language reaching Level 2.

Three quarters of boys with paid-for-meals reach Level 2 in writing.

In technical subjects 73% of boys on FSM reached Level 2 in maths, and 62% in science.

For boys eating paid-for meals 87% reach Level 2 in maths and science.

For girls at level 2, 79% on FSM can read and 74% can write at Level 2, 85% reach it in maths, and 80% in science.

Girls who have paid-for meals do better, with 88% in reading, 87% in writing, 91% in maths and 92% in science all reaching Level 2.