An action plan is to be drawn up to help children in care with their school work as figures released today show they have fallen behind other youngsters in the district.

Only 47 per cent of children in the care of Bradford Council achieved one or more A* to G grades in GCSEs or the equivalent GNVQs during the year ending in September this year.

It compared with 93 per cent of all youngsters who achieved the grades.

And the Council's social services chiefs said better results would help reduce the likelihood of offences being committed by young people when they left school.

A report, which will go to the Council's corporate parenting panel on Wednesday, January 8, shows the number of children in care shot up from 519 to 580.

This resulted in the number of school-age children going up from 451 to 464.

Expulsions reduced from four per cent to 1.5 per cent, however, and the number of children who have missed 25 days or more at school has dropped from 18 to 14.6 per cent.

Today panel chairman, Councillor John Buffham (Con, Thornton), said he believed more youngsters were in long-term care because of the breakdown of marriages and partnerships, sometimes with drugs involved.

He said there were profound effects on children, particularly when drugs were a factor.

"In the past children were often taken into care because of poverty," he said.

"But when things like drugs are involved there is a terrible toll on children.

"We are concerned about education. We have been for some time and things are being done about it.

"We are responsible for these young people until they are 25 and we want to make sure that they get a good start."

The report to the panel by director of social services Alison O'Sullivan said improving educational standards was a long-term aim, however, and would need a "focused approach".