Hälften av världens barn bor i länder där utbildningen ibland håller så låg kvalitet att många skolelever inte kan läsa en hel mening. Biståndsmyndigheten Sida gör nu därför sin största satsning på utbildning hittills.

Increasing numbers of children cannot afford lunch and are coming to school without adequate clothes

Many have also used their own money to buy pupils stationery or uniforms while struggling with their own bills.

Households in England must earn less than £7,400 a year before benefits and after tax to qualify, excluding 800,000 children in poverty.

Children not eligible for free school meals are coming to school with mouldy bread, empty wraps and in some cases nothing at all, according to teachers who told the Guardian they had never seen such desperation in the communities they serve.

Special Investigation: Headteachers and youth workers highlight an increasing hunger crisis among families living in poverty but who are not eligible for free school meals.

Flera värmländska kommuner som P4 Värmland har pratat med märker av att det har gått åt mer skolmat under den här höstterminen jämfört med hur det brukar vara. "Det kan ju vara så att livsmedelspriserna för föräldrar och hemmet har blivit så pass dyra", säger Maria Källström, kostchef i Forshaga kommun.

Experts say summer’s results mean new child poverty strategy urgently needed to tackle worsening gulf in attainment.

Feed the Future: 80 per cent of educators have noted an increase in the number of pupils arriving hungry during the past six months, according to a new survey.

Parents, teachers and anti-hunger advocates hail new free-meal system, saying it improves academic performance and wellbeing.

Over 12 million American kids live in poverty. What role can schools play in disrupting its pernicious effects?