Responding to new figures showing an increase in children living in temporary accommodation, Paul Whiteman, general secretary of school leaders’ union NAHT, said: “School leaders and teachers see the damaging effects of poverty upon pupils day in, day out, and sadly this has only increased in recent years.

“This includes the impact of homelessness and insecure housing, which can affect children’s health, wellbeing and sleep as well as their ability to attend school and concentrate on their learning when they are there. Schools do their very best to support children and families, but they are not equipped to address the often deep-rooted causes of poverty.

“The last government failed to do anything like enough to acknowledge and tackle the worrying levels of child poverty. We welcome Labour’s early move to set up a taskforce charged with looking at this important issue. It must deliver tangible results which lift families out of poverty and lay the foundations for children to flourish at school.”