MORE Dorset pupils are receiving free school meals than ever before, new figures have revealed.

The figures come as it is revealed there has been a drastic rise in the number of cash-strapped shoppers using a Weymouth shop for people on low incomes.

As families face the unprecedented cost of living crisis, figures from the Department for Education show that 8,972 children in Dorset were eligible for free school meals in January – which equates to 18.5% of all state school pupils in the area.

This was up from 17.6% the year before and is the highest proportion since comparable records began in 2015-16.

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In pupil referral units, the rate was 65.8% in 2021-22 – the highest of all types of state education which had at least 100 pupils. This is compared to 18% in primary schools.

Cllr Andrew Parry, Portfolio Holder for Children, Education, Skills and Early Help, said: "Some of the increase in the number of pupils receiving free school meals can be attributed to the transitional protection arrangements that the government has put in place to make sure that children don't lose the benefit of free school meals as soon as a family's financial circumstances change.

"However, the increase is almost certainly helped by the work we have put in to letting families in Dorset know about free school meals and other help available for those who have been affected by the cost of living increase."

However, the increase also coincides with the rise in users of community shops in the area. Staff at The Nest, Weymouth, for people on low disposable income, have revealed that their member numbers have increased dramatically in the last seven weeks.

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Dr Neil Hardisty, director of The Nest, said: "Our membership has grown from 533 to 700 in our Westham shop alone - an increase of 31% and the number of shoppers has gone up by 36% since the end of May. Our data also shows that 52% of our members have children at home.

"This has a significant effect on our staff and volunteers as we are having to buy in more food to keep the shelves stocked and meet the demands of people who are food insecure."

Across England, 22.5% of pupils (around 1.9 million children) are currently eligible for free school meals – which is up from 20.8%, and also a record high.

In Dorset, 22.7% of children aged 15 and under were living in households with less than 60% of the national median household income after housing costs – down from 24.7% in 2019-20.