Nearly two-thirds of school students in Leeds with a Roma background are eligible for free school meals

The reasons for this can be linked to the high level of poverty in the community which comes from the lack of employment and poor access to benefits within their community.

In England the number of children from Roma backgrounds receiving free school meals has risen in the last year from 58.3 to 61.2.

In Leeds there is a total of more than 35,000 school children of all ages that are eligible for free school meals.

Data revealed that the group that have the highest amount of eligible kids for free school meals come from Gypsy or black Caribbean backgrounds.