COUNTY Hall promised to continue supporting vulnerable children in Oxfordshire after figures revealed just 56 per cent of Year 11 pupils in care gained one or more GCSEs.

Statistics relating to the school year ending in September 2008 were released by the Department for Children, Schools and Families last week.

They documented how many pupils at each age group achieved the benchmark levels in SATs tests and GCSEs, and also recorded the proportion of “looked after” children – those in public care such as foster care, care homes, or with allocated carers – who had been cautioned or convicted of a crime, or had been identified as having a substance misuse problem.

In terms of GCSEs, achievement figures for looked after children in the county were lower both than the national average of 65.6 per cent and the previous year’s results, when 74 per cent of children in care achieved at least one GCSE.

There are 280 looked after children in the county, 220 of school age.

A spokesman for Oxfordshire County Council said: “These figures demonstrate the challenge faced by local authorities in helping some of the most disadvantaged and vulnerable children achieve their potential.”

The benchmark of five GCSEs A* to G was achieved by only 39 per cent of children in care.