3c Children in reception in receipt of free school meals
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Number of children in reception in receipt of free school meals by age.
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Data set details
- Theme
- Early years
- Publication
- Funded early education and childcare
- Release
- Reporting year 2026
- Release type
- Number of rows
- 4,431
- Geographic levels
- Local authority, National, Regional
- Indicators
- Number of registered children
- Filters
- Age
- Time period
- 2018 to 2026
Data set preview
| time_period | time_identifier | geographic_level | country_code | country_name | region_code | region_name | old_la_code | new_la_code | la_name | entitlement_type | age | year_group | registered_children_count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Reporting year | National | E92000001 | England | Universal | Total | Reception | 62206 | |||||
| 2026 | Reporting year | National | E92000001 | England | Universal | 3 years | Reception | 0 | |||||
| 2026 | Reporting year | National | E92000001 | England | Universal | 4 years | Reception | 62206 | |||||
| 2026 | Reporting year | Regional | E92000001 | England | E12000001 | North East | Universal | Total | Reception | 3838 | |||
| 2026 | Reporting year | Regional | E92000001 | England | E12000001 | North East | Universal | 3 years | Reception | 0 |
Variables in this data set
| Variable name | Variable description |
|---|---|
| age | Age |
| registered_children_count | Number of registered children |
Footnotes
- Children (mainly 4-year-olds) in a state-funded reception class are considered to be registered for the universal entitlement.
- Where children under 4 years of age are recorded as in reception, this may be because they attend a school with a mixed-year class, because the local authority has agreed it would be beneficial to start reception year early, or for another reason.
- No data on early years pupil premium or free school meals is available for children registered at general hospital schools.
- Data collected in 2021 (and to a lesser extent 2022) was affected by the impact of COVID-19 uncertainty on providers and parents. Further information is available on the methodology page.
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Contact us
If you have a specific enquiry about 3c Children in reception in receipt of free school meals statistics and data:
Early Years Statistics Team
Email: earlyyears.statistics@education.gov.ukContact name: Jay Morris