Free School Meals Cohort Note that the proportion of pupils on Free School Meals changes over time, which can affect the comparability of the figures. For those turning 19 in 2019/20, 13.4% were eligible for Free School Meals at age 15. This is down from a peak of 14.9% for the 2016/17 cohort. See the methodology note for more information.
Progression to Higher Education
14.2% of state-funded and special school pupils who received Free School Meals (FSM) at age 15 entered Higher Education by age 19 by 2005/06. The rate rose steadily to 26.2% for the 2016/17 cohort but has remained fairly stable since then. The rate has increased in the latest year from 26.3% to 26.6%
The progression rate for pupils not receiving Free School Meals has risen from 33.5% for the 2005/06 cohort to 45.7% for the 2019/20 cohort.
The gap between FSM and Non-FSM progression rates increased to 19.1 percentage points for the 2019/20 cohort, up 0.3 percentage points since last year and the largest gap since 2005/06. The gap was lowest in 2013/14 at 16.8 percentage points and has risen each year since then.
Other measures of disadvantage This publication also presents progression rates using the POLAR measure of disadvantage (in the following section). Under this measure there has been a greater increase in progression rates in recent years for the most disadvantaged pupils than seen when using the FSM disadvantage measure, which, in contrast to the FSM measure, has led to a narrowing of the gap between the most disadvantaged and most advantaged students.
Overall Progression Rates Figures covering HE progression for all state-funded students can be downloaded from the Free School Meals file in the Explore data and files section at the top of this page
Progression to High Tariff Higher Education
2.0% of state-funded and special school pupils who received Free School Meals (FSM) at age 15 entered high tariff HE by age 19 by 2009/10. The rate increased to 4.1% for the 2018/19 cohort but has fallen slightly to 4.0% in the latest year.
The progression rate for pupils not receiving Free School Meals has risen from 9.4% for the 2009/10 cohort to 12.0% for the 2019/20 cohort (the same as last year).
The gap between FSM and Non-FSM progression rates was 8.0 percentage points for the 2019/20 cohort, up 0.1 percentage points since last year.
Progression to Higher Education by Region and FSM Status
Progression to Higher Education
Progression to Higher Education varies considerably by region, in particular for those eligible for Free School Meals. 48.5% of those eligible for Free School Meals at age 15 in Inner London progressed to HE by age 19 compared to 26.6% nationally and 17.1% in the South West. London also has the highest progression rates for those not eligible for Free School Meals at age 15 – well over 50% in both Inner London (59.6%) and Outer London (58.1%) compared to 45.7% nationally. The South West has the lowest progression rate for those not eligible for Free School meals (40.4%).
Progression to High Tariff Higher Education
Progression to high tariff HE providers also varies by region. In London, 8.2% of those eligible for Free School Meals at age 15 progressed to high tariff HE by age 19 – a rate almost four times higher than for the South East (2.1%). London also has the highest progression rates for those not eligible for Free School Meals at age 15 – at 16.8%. The West Midlands has the lowest progression rate for those not eligible for Free School Meals (9.5%).
Progression to Higher Education by Local Authority and FSM Status
As seen in the regional figures, London has the highest progression rates and this is particularly apparent for pupils eligible for Free School Meals. HE Progression rates are above 50% for FSM pupils in seven Local Authorities in London but below 15% in 12 Local Authorities outside London.
The gap in progression rates between FSM pupils and non-FSM pupils also tends to be much narrower in Local Authorities in London than in other areas. The progression rate gap tends to be widest in Local Authorities with a small proportion of pupils eligible for Free School Meals.
The pattern is similar when looking at progression to high tariff HE. In seven Local Authorities in London the progression rate for Free School Meal pupils is above 10%, compared to 4.0% nationally. Fewer than 1% of Free School Meal pupils progressed to high tariff HE in four Local Authorities. Progression rates to high tariff HE tend to be lowest in coastal regions in the South in particular and the more disadvantaged areas in the North and Midlands.
Historical Data Figures for earlier years can be downloaded from the Free School Meals - Gap file in the Explore data and files section at the top of this page.