Two million leave school without 'good' GCSEs

Updated 11.11 Wed Aug 20 2008

Keywords: School, GCSE

Almost two million teenagers have left school without gaining a single good GCSE.

Figures released by the Tories show that 1.75 million children left school without one GCSE at grade C or above between 1997 and 2007.

The data, obtained by parliamentary questions asked by shadow schools secretary Michael Gove revealed that last year around 23,500 pupils were not entered for a GCSE

Last year, almost 153,000 pupils left without gaining a single C.

The data, obtained by parliamentary questions asked by shadow schools secretary Michael Gove revealed that last year around 23,500 pupils were not entered for a GCSE.

Shadow families minister Maria Miller said: "Eleven years after Labour came to power, almost two million children have left school without any 'good' GCSE passes.

"The Government has let down an entire generation of pupils who are not getting anything like the basic set of qualifications they need to continue studying or get the job they want.

"The problems with educational underachievement are concentrated in the poorest areas of the country. It is in those areas that our policies for a Swedish model of school reform to create thousands more good new school places can make the most difference.

"Only then will children from disadvantaged families start to get the same kind of opportunity as others."

The data comes the day before thousands of 16-year-olds are due to receive their GCSE results.

The pass rate is expected to rise again this year and experts predict that one in five grades could be A or A*.