Khyra Ishaq died later in hospital, where her brothers and sisters remain suffering from emaciation. They had disappeared from sight at Christmas and were only found last weekend after concerned neighbours in Birmingham alerted police.

Mother Angela Gordon, 33, and stepfather Junaid Abuhamza, 29, have appeared in court charged with causing or allowing Khyra's death through neglect. They were remanded in custody and will appear before Birmingham magistrates again on May 28.

Although police refused to confirm the cause of death, it was reported yesterday that police were called to the house in the early hours of Saturday when a young girl developed breathing problems. They found six children on mattresses on the floor. The seven-year-old girl was critically ill and the five others were described as emaciated.

A neighbour told ITV News that she had put out bread for the birds outside her home, and was then tackled by one of the adults who told her not to feed the children. She said she didn't understand at first but later assumed one of the children had gone out to eat the bread.

Birmingham Perry Barr MP Khalid Mahmood said he understood that Khyra and her siblings were removed from school about 10 weeks ago amid claims that they were being bullied.

An educational social worker then paid a visit to the seven-year-old's family home, and no further follow-up checks took place, Mr Mahmood said.

"I just find that amazing," the MP added. "It just beggars belief that we have allowed this to happen, especially when an educational social worker has been once... and then no action at all."

Last night other neighbours of the family described the mother as "very respectable" and "devoted to her children" but said the children had not been seen since Christmas.

Lilian Costello said she had known the children's mother and up until Christmas Eve had spoken to her practically every day.

Ms Costello said: "I saw her on Christmas Eve and I wished her a Merry Christmas but she said she didn't celebrate it, she celebrated Eid.

"I didn't see her for another four months after that and when I saw her again at the beginning of May, she said she still lived up the road."

The neighbour added: "She seemed very devoted to the children and I am very surprised.

"She used to let the children come out to play with the other children and she always stood at the front of the house watching them.

"There were three boys and three girls and they were a nice bunch of kids, very well-mannered. It's just so sad knowing that one of them has died."

Other neighbours claimed Ms Gordon had converted to Islam when she was a child after her mother took up the religion, and that she had split up several years ago with her children's natural father, who was named yesterday as Abu Zaire Ishaq.

But Mr Ishaq's sister Valerie Frances, who visited the family house on Leyton Road, said she had no idea her brother had changed his name from Delroy Frances.

She told reporters that she had not seen her six nieces and nephews since the beginning of last year and did not know the whereabouts of her brother or whether he knew that his daughter had died.

A friend of Khyra's family, who declined to be named, said she had seen the girl in the past fortnight and she did not appear to be malnourished.

The woman also claimed that the children had been taken out of school by their mother in mid-March after they were allegedly bullied because they wore Muslim dress.

The family friend said: "Khyra was a happy girl. I saw her with her mum about nine or 10 days ago, she looked normal. She was a very slim girl and did not look underweight."