More than seven in 10 teachers have reported seeing children in their schools who have no lunch and no means to pay for one.
The findings, in a report from the Children's Society, have led to renewed calls for action to ensure that all 2.2 million children who live in poverty receive free school meals (FSM).
Currently, 1.2 million children in poverty do not receive FSM. Of this number, 700,000 are not even entitled to them, while 500,000 do not take up their FSM for fear of stigma and bullying.
The study, Food for Thought: A survey on teacher's views on school meals, found that 72 per cent of teachers see children arriving at school without lunch and having no money to pay for one.
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