Three million students leave school without five good GCSEs under Labour says David Laws

The number of 16-year-olds who have left compulsory education without five good GCSEs (A*-C) since Labour came to power is expected to reach 3m, research by the Liberal Democrats has found. Since 1997, more than 2.8m 16-year-olds have finished school without five decent qualifications - the Government’s key benchmark. The trend is set to continue when the 2009 results are published tomorrow [Thursday 27 August], pushing the total to more than 3m.

Commenting, Liberal Democrat Shadow Schools Secretary, David Laws said:

“These shocking figures reveal the true extent of Labour’s failure in education.

“After over 10 years in power, it is deeply concerning that around one third of pupils are leaving education without even achieving the basic standard of five good GCSEs.

“It is these young people, let down by Labour, who are now likely to be bearing the brunt of the recession.

“Ministers need to start getting the basics right early on, so no child falls behind. We need to target additional funding at the children who are struggling, and cut class sizes so every young child gets the attention they need.”