THE government is being urged to roll out universal free school meals, funded by taxes on the super-rich, as new research shows that a quarter of teachers are using their own money to feed hungry children.

The findings, released today, were made by School Food Matters which commissioned a poll of 10,000 teachers across England.

In the survey, one in five teachers reported that the number of children who are too hungry to learn has increased since the beginning of the academic year.