Free school meals is 'unreliable poverty measure'
Free school meals is 'unreliable poverty measure'
- St Mary's University says free meals can be a "misleading" marker for deprivation in schools.
The study warns of the need to support the "hidden poor".
Offiicial figures recently showed two-thirds of children in poverty are now in working families.
Free school meals have been widely used as a way of looking at the social profile of schools - but the research argues that this has failed to reflect changes in the labour market and financial pressures on low-income working families.
- St Mary's University says free meals can be a "misleading" marker for deprivation in schools.
The study warns of the need to support the "hidden poor".
Offiicial figures recently showed two-thirds of children in poverty are now in working families.
Free school meals have been widely used as a way of looking at the social profile of schools - but the research argues that this has failed to reflect changes in the labour market and financial pressures on low-income working families.