News

Looked-after children continue to face significant disadvantages in education, according to statistics from the Department for Education and Skills.

Despite public service agreement targets to improve their educational attainment and participation, children in care still lag behind their peers.

Forty-seven per cent of children in year 11 who had been looked after continuously for at least 12 months did not achieve a single GCSE or equivalent exam, compared with only 5 per cent of all year 11 students. Fewer than one in 10 looked-after children attained five GCSE or equivalent passes at grade A-C.

Forty-three per cent of looked-after children - a slightly higher proportion than last year - did not even take a GCSE equivalent exam in year 11. Government targets aim to reduce the proportion of looked-after children who reach school leaving age without taking a GCSE equivalent to no more than 10 per cent by 2006.

Looked-after children are almost nine times more likely to hold a statement of special educational needs than their peers, as well as being more likely to be permanently excluded from school.

The figures also showed that looked-after children were three times more likely to be cautioned or convicted of an offence. Nearly 10 per cent of children aged 10 or over who had been looked after for a year or more had been convicted or subject to a final warning or reprimand, compared with 3 per cent of all children.

www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/VOL/v000468/vol_outcome_final.pdf