Primary School Free Meal Eligibility in Calderdale

Calderdale primary school data tracks pupil eligibility for Free School Meals, sourced from the termly school census. The dataset combines figures for both Academies and Local Authority Maintained Schools from October 2016 onward, with a known gap for May 2020 due to a census cancellation.

Use Cases

• Analyze trends in Free School Meal eligibility over time for primary schools in Calderdale.
• Compare eligibility rates between Academy and Local Authority Maintained School types.
• Assess the impact of policy changes using the continuous data series from October 2016.

Strengths

• Data is collected via the official termly school census, an authoritative administrative source.
• Provides a continuous series for two school types (Academies and LA Maintained) from October 2016.
• Regularly updated, with a last recorded update in March 2026.

Limitations

• Missing data point for May 2020 due to government cancellation of the census.
• Academy data is only available from October 2015, creating a shorter historical series for that school type.
• Geographic scope is limited to the Calderdale metropolitan area.

Provenance

Source

Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council.

Collection Method

Collected via the statutory termly school census.

Time Range

From October 2016 for the combined dataset; Academy data from October 2015.

Freshness

Updated as of March 2026.

Geography

Calderdale, United Kingdom.