More than one in five children in Wales is now eligible for free school meals with numbers soaring during the coronavirus pandemic to the highest level for at least two decades.
A further 19,000 children became eligible for free school meals (FSM) between January 2020 and January 2021 rising to a total 105,000, according to figures from Data Cymru provided by the Welsh Government
Out of just over 468,000 pupils across Wales that means more than one in five - 22.4% - are now eligible for free school meals.
In some more deprived areas that rises to nearly one in three children.
Read More: 'I found a suicide note in a corridor' Headteacher says schools must never shut again
The figures prompted a warning from the Children’s Commissioner that: “child poverty is now the Welsh Government’s biggest challenge”.
Headteachers have also told of the economic and social impact of the pandemic and lockdowns on their pupils. They are worried about children whose families are on borderline low incomes not eligible for FSM but still struggling.
The Welsh Government has allocated an additional £23m for free school meal provision during the school holidays for the 2021-22 financial year.
Professor Sally Holland, Children’s Commissioner for Wales, said: “These new figures are a reminder of the scale of the issue we face in Wales: quite simply, child poverty is the Welsh Government’s biggest challenge.
“The financial hardship faced by some families as a result of the pandemic has intensified that challenge, and made it even more important that measures are taken to mitigate the impact of poverty on our most vulnerable children."
With parents furloughed or laid off during the pandemic, and various sectors, including the hospitality industry, now on their knees, many families, especially those already on low incomes, have been left struggling.
Eithne Hughes, director of the Association of School and College Leaders Cymru said: “These figures are not surprising given people are on furlough and that things like the hospitality industry have collapsed.
“This is really going to affect those youngsters already disadvantaged. There are also those just on the line of not being eligible for free school meals and those children may also need support. That is also a real worry.
“We need to prioritise extra funding for deprivation. Where deprivation is high resources will be needed to help prop up those learners affected. We need to make sure learners are supported."
Data Cymru, which collates figures on behalf of local education authorities is asked to share its data by the Welsh Government.
Another set of data , the Welsh Government’s Statistics Wales, based on the Pupil Level Annual School Census (PLASC) shows that 85,731 pupils were eligible for FSM in January 2020, representing 18.3% of all pupils, just before the pandemic hit.
That had risen to 91,700 by the end of June 2020 - a rise of 13% as the effects of the pandemic on the economy started to grip, according to PLASC data. The figures then rose again by January this year, according to Data Cymru.
Statistics Wales figures going back two decades show that the highest numbers of pupils eligible for FSM in that time was in 2002-03 when it stood at 87,022
Numbers then fell to a low of 74,568 in 2017-18 before rising slightly again and then soaring during the last year.
Updated school meal eligibility figures from PLASC are due out next week and it is feared they will have grown again.
The Children's Commissioner wants entitlement for free school meal provision extended to include families who struggle to pay, but earn just over the threshold.
She said that on a UK level, where powers over most benefits are held, she has written again written to the Minister for Work and Pensions to request an immediate end to the two-child limit on benefit payments.
The Welsh Government was the first UK nation to fund FSM during holidays and half terms to address holiday hunger through the pandemic.
Responding to the FSM figures a Welsh Government spokesman said: “Providing support to children and families who need it most continues to be a top priority for the Welsh Government, as it was before the pandemic.
“During the 2020-21 financial year, we made available up to £60m in additional funding for free school meals.
“We have also allocated an additional £23m for free school meal provision during the school holidays for the 2021-22 financial year."
