Children referred to social care twice as likely to fail GCSE maths and English

Analysts found, by comparison, that 24% who had not had a referral failed to achieve a level 4 in both key subjects. Photograph: Michael Kemp/Alamy

Children in England who are referred to social services at any point in their childhood are twice as likely to fail GCSE maths and English, according to new research published ahead of results day on Thursday.

Analysts looked at 1.6m pupils’ exam results over a three-year period and found that 53% of teenagers who had been referred to social care – as detailed in the Children in Need census – did not achieve a grade 4 pass in both English and maths GCSE.