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Welsh Government
Data Provider: Welsh Government Pupils eligible for free school meals by local authority, region and year
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LARegion 1
Click here to sort2013/14Click here to sort2014/15Click here to sort2015/16Click here to sort2016/17Click here to sort2017/18Click here to sort2018/19Click here to sort2019/20Whilst most of the usual data validation processes on the 2020 school census data have taken place, due to the coronavirus pandemic, the data did not undergo the usual final validation process. As part of the Welsh Local Government Finance Settlement, the data is usually returned to local authorities for final validation. Typically, overall numbers of pupils and teachers will not change significantly during this period, with the most likely change being in the characteristics of the pupils themselves e.g. free school meal entitlement. Users should therefore be more cautious when comparing data on characteristics of pupils and staff over time, in particular where small cohorts are involved.Click here to sort2020/21The schools census would usually take place in January. School closures between December 2020 and March 2021 due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic meant that the census date was delayed to 20 April 2021. The number of pupils was higher in April 2021 partly due to the later census date which meant that more pupils had entered nursery classes by the census date.Click here to sort2021/22The schools census would usually take place in January. Due to the level of coronavirus (COVID-19) cases in January 2022, the census date was delayed to 15 February 2022.Click here to sort2022/23Click here to sort2023/24Click here to sort2024/25
[Collapse]North WalesThere are four formal Education consortia in Wales covering: North Wales, South West and Mid Wales, Central South Wales, South East Wales.14,91414,81414,55714,28314,10715,31716,67618,71618,60317,01617,13216,632
North WalesThere are four formal Education consortia in Wales covering: North Wales, South West and Mid Wales, Central South Wales, South East Wales.Isle of AngleseyNorth Wales1,5891,5151,4741,4171,3611,3921,5121,6101,5001,4581,4771,461
GwyneddNorth Wales2,0072,0902,0191,9601,9001,8791,9922,1342,2332,3372,1171,980
ConwyNorth Wales2,5462,4672,3182,3822,2292,4552,3883,0532,9362,8082,6282,547
DenbighshireNorth Wales2,6632,6302,6342,5282,4812,7263,1113,2603,1293,1672,9782,949
FlintshireNorth Wales2,9553,1193,1512,9043,1513,5714,0514,5384,7423,2464,0164,117
WrexhamNorth Wales3,1542,9932,9613,0922,9853,2943,6224,1214,0634,0003,9163,578
[Collapse]South West and Mid WalesThere are four formal Education consortia in Wales covering: North Wales, South West and Mid Wales, Central South Wales, South East Wales.20,64620,67520,41220,30919,64620,96222,32425,11426,14024,60822,58921,281
South West and Mid WalesThere are four formal Education consortia in Wales covering: North Wales, South West and Mid Wales, Central South Wales, South East Wales.PowysSouth West and Mid Wales1,9501,9271,8731,9231,8071,8202,1472,6512,8982,4292,0941,848
CeredigionSouth West and Mid Wales1,0401,0751,0089721,0091,0091,2361,3421,5661,6021,3111,222
PembrokeshireSouth West and Mid Wales2,9272,6412,5322,6902,4212,5312,5312,6402,7462,5692,6292,621
CarmarthenshireSouth West and Mid Wales4,3114,4754,4924,2614,0864,2454,7715,7286,0784,7714,5454,051
SwanseaSouth West and Mid Wales6,2236,2256,1566,2356,1906,8397,0007,5677,5537,9167,0046,948
Neath Port TalbotSouth West and Mid Wales4,1954,3324,3514,2284,1334,5184,6395,1865,2995,3215,0064,591
[Collapse]Central South WalesThere are four formal Education consortia in Wales covering: North Wales, South West and Mid Wales, Central South Wales, South East Wales.28,94828,24927,32026,65825,81726,68829,63035,00135,00034,54632,71429,760
Central South WalesThere are four formal Education consortia in Wales covering: North Wales, South West and Mid Wales, Central South Wales, South East Wales.BridgendCentral South Wales4,5654,3894,1553,9534,0224,2204,5855,0135,4315,5045,1324,632
Vale of GlamorganCentral South Wales2,8432,6852,6042,5382,4472,4782,7953,4353,4793,5703,3923,207
Rhondda Cynon TafCentral South Wales9,1698,7658,3048,0307,8247,6838,65110,0738,4578,4617,8297,436
Merthyr TydfilCentral South Wales2,0972,0051,8861,8151,7651,8011,8162,2132,2092,2382,1141,916
CardiffCentral South Wales10,27410,40510,37110,3229,75910,50611,78314,26715,42414,77314,24712,569
[Collapse]South East WalesThere are four formal Education consortia in Wales covering: North Wales, South West and Mid Wales, Central South Wales, South East Wales.17,03016,93016,18714,97414,99815,93517,10120,30420,56219,01717,67317,091
South East WalesThere are four formal Education consortia in Wales covering: North Wales, South West and Mid Wales, Central South Wales, South East Wales.CaerphillySouth East Wales5,8636,1575,9055,4415,2675,1725,5356,3156,7076,9966,0255,507
Blaenau GwentSouth East Wales2,6102,4952,3281,9091,9511,9752,2172,6932,8422,0952,0732,184
TorfaenSouth East Wales2,6602,5612,4712,3542,5863,0343,3753,9793,5922,9592,9253,030
MonmouthshireSouth East Wales1,2831,2161,2181,1201,1531,1971,3891,7471,8091,4891,3241,232
NewportSouth East Wales4,6144,5014,2654,1504,0414,5574,5855,5705,6125,4785,3265,138
[Collapse]WalesThere are four formal Education consortia in Wales covering: North Wales, South West and Mid Wales, Central South Wales, South East Wales.WalesThere are four formal Education consortia in Wales covering: North Wales, South West and Mid Wales, Central South Wales, South East Wales.81,53880,66878,47676,22474,56878,90285,73199,135100,30595,18790,10884,764

Metadata

Title

All pupils eligible for free school meals by local authority, region and year

Last update

23/07/2025 23/07/2025

Next update

July 2026 (provisional)

Publishing organisation

Welsh Government

Source 1

Pupil Level Annual School Census (PLASC), Welsh Government

Contact email

school.stats@gov.wales

Designation

National Statistics

Lowest level of geographical disaggregation

Local authorities

Geographical coverage

Wales

Languages covered

English and Welsh

Data licensing

You may use and re-use this data free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government License - see http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence

General description

See other items

Data collection and calculation

Schools’ data are derived from the Pupil Level Annual School Census (PLASC) returns and STATS 1 returns supplied by schools open on Census day in January each year. The returns are authorised by headteachers and validated by Local Authorities.

Frequency of publication

Annual

Data reference periods

From 2003/04 or more recently if the data item is not available for earlier years.

Rounding applied

None.

Statistical quality

School Census returns are authorised by headteachers and validated by Local Authorities.

Whilst most of the usual data validation processes on the 2020 school census data have taken place, due to the coronavirus pandemic, the data did not undergo the usual final validation process. As part of the Welsh Local Government Finance Settlement, the data is usually returned to local authorities for final validation. Typically, overall numbers of pupils and teachers will not change significantly during this period, with the most likely change being in the characteristics of the pupils themselves e.g. free school meal entitlement. Users should therefore be more cautious when comparing data on characteristics of pupils and staff over time, in particular where small cohorts are involved.