In a new report entitled Too Young to Fail, the charity said that less than a sixth of children who qualify for free school meals and are behind at seven-years-old will go on to achieve five A*-C GCSEs.
Figures published in the report show that 24 per cent of children on free school meals fell behind in 2012, compared with ten per cent of their better-off peers.
In the same year, 76,000 seven-year-olds were found to be behind in reading across the country.
If the trend seen between 2007 and 2012 continues, the charity estimates that around half a million children will be behind at the age of seven by 2020.
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