During a debate led by Redditch MP, Karen Lumley, Harriett raises her concerns that using 'free school meals' as an indicator of deprivation is not a good measure in Worcestershire where many schools are unable to offer free school meals. Harriett Baldwin (West Worcestershire) (Con): I congratulate my hon. Friend on securing this debate, which is so important to the future of children in Worcestershire. Does she agree that free school meals are not a good measure of deprivation in Worcestershire, particularly where rural schools no longer offer a dining room and therefore cannot offer free school meals? Karen Lumley: I totally agree. We have to start somewhere, and perhaps as this Parliament progresses we will think of a fairer way of dividing the available money. | Hansard ... Harriett Baldwin: Will the Minister address my point about free school meals in rural constituencies, where many schools no longer offer a dining room? Mr Gibb: Yes, I am happy to respond to my hon. Friend's question. I recognise the concerns about using free school meals as a measure, but they are the only available method that can correlate deprivation at pupil level, rather than at postcode or area level, so they are the most accurate reflection of deprivation. There is quite a lot of academic evidence that free school meals accurately reflect the levels of deprivation in an area. However, we will continue to look at the issue, and we might in future include a measure of, for instance, whether pupils ever qualified for free school meals during a period of, say, six or three years. In that way, those who qualify for free school meals for just one year, then no longer qualify will be eligible for the pupil premium. The other thing that is happening as a consequence of policy on free school meals is that local authorities are pressing schools and parents to apply for free school meals, which they might not have done in the past. That will have a double benefit, in that more pupils will qualify for the pupil premium, as well as being able to have a meal at school. | Hansard