Half of pupils leave school unable to read, write or add properly

HALF of teenagers left school unable to read, write and add up to the standard expected by employers last year, GCSE results showed today.

Ministers hailed improvements in London, claiming that 15,400 more young people in the capital were achieving five or more good GCSEs including English and maths than in 1997. But the figures showed boys in inner city schools still lagged far behind pupils elsewhere.

Across England, only 47.6 per cent of teenagers scored five crucial A*-C grades including in maths and English. One in seven pupils failed to achieve a single C grade in any GCSE subject.

Critics warned too many teenagers were being left without the qualifications they need for work and further study.

The figures from the Department for Children, Schools and Families show the final picture for how last year's school-leavers performed in GCSEs and A-levels. Results for 75,000 teenagers in London showed 50.6 per cent reached the Government's target level of five A*-C grades including maths and English. Most employers and universities regard this as the minimum necessary level. Boys' grades were still far lower than girls'.

In inner city boroughs, just 40.6 per cent of boys achieved five good GCSEs last year. Across England, 17.3 per cent of boys did not score a single C grade in any subject. Professor Alan Smithers, from the University of Buckingham, said pupils were not being given the grounding they needed in "how to handle words and numbers properly in primary school".

The results called into question plans for raising the school leaving age to 18, he said. Teenage boys might need to be motivated by more work-related courses, Professor Smithers suggested. Ministers welcomed the results as an improvement on previous years. Sarah McCarthy-Fry, Minister for London Schools, said: "London schools and their pupils are leading the way for the rest of the country." But shadow schools minister Nick Gibb said it was "deeply worrying" that a large gap existed between affluent and poor pupils.