Ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education for all is recognised by governments worldwide to be of great importance. Unfortunately many children and young people from some of the poorest parts of the world are deprived of access to good quality education and are therefore denied the opportunity to learn and achieve their full potential. Obstacles to access education may include poverty, gender, ethnicity, language or disability and research into how to overcome such barriers will help to identify strategies that could reduce these learning inequalities and raise learning outcomes.