ONLY 56 per cent of Year 11 pupils within the care system in Oxfordshire managed to achieve a single GCSE last year.

And only 39 per cent achieved five GCSE A* to Gs, according to figures released by the Department of Children, Schools and Families yesterday.

The information, which related to the 12 months ending in September 2008, showed there were 280 children in care in the county, 220 of school age.

So-called ‘Looked after’ children refers to children who are in care, including fostering, residential homes, and those who are placed under a care plan with parents or relatives.

In England as a whole, 65.6 per cent of looked after children achieved one GCSE pass, and 43.4 per cent gained five A* to Gs The previous year, 74 per cent of Oxfordshire looked after children got one GCSE, and 63 per cent achieved five A* to Gs.

There were 40 looked after children in the county old enough to sit the exams last summer.

Information was also released about what percentage of Year 11 pupils were in full-time education, which, at 73 per cent, was higher than the England figure of 65.3 per cent.

Six per cent of looked after children aged 10 and above in the county were cautioned or convicted in relation to a crime, double the figure for all Oxfordshire children, but less than the national figure of 8.8 per cent of children in care in England.

The statistics also showed that 9.7 per cent of looked after children were identified as having a substance misuse problem, twice the national figure of 4.9 per cent.