Five hundred secondary schools in England did not meet the government’s minimum target for GCSE attainment, the annual performance tables show.
The results show that, across the country, 45.8% of pupils at the end of Key Stage 4 of the national curriculum attained the equivalent of five GCSEs at grade C or above including English and maths.
David Frost, director general of the British Chambers of Commerce, called this figure “unacceptable”.
“Instead of leaving school ready for the world of work, too many teenagers simply do not have the necessary skills to enter the workforce. Talking to businesses across the country, it is clear that they have to spend valuable time providing basic training in English and maths to new employees.”
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Frost called on the government to reassess how English and maths are taught in schools.
