Figures released by Shetland Islands Council show the number of parents seeking assistance has dropped below the national average, prompting concern that some people are holding back for the fear of being stigmatised.
Less than five per cent of secondary pupils are getting free school meals, about a third of the national average of 15 per cent, according to data released by the council's Education and Families Committee.
Just under seven per cent of primary pupils have been claiming free meals, also a third of the national average and a record low for Shetland.
Take-up on clothing grants has dropped each year from 459 in 2010/11 to just 286 in 2014/15. Meanwhile, demand for the education maintenance allowance is down over the same period from a high of 147 in 2011/12 to 55 this year.
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