LOOKED after children in York do worse in school than their peers, and their achievements fall behind looked after children in the rest of the country, according to council figures.

However, the attainment gap between them and their York peers is shrinking, a paper on the education of looked after children in York has said.

The paper is due before the city council's corporate parenting board on Monday, with worrying statistics that show children in local authority care face major struggles in school.

The report, by Howard Lovelady, the council's head of service, children, education and skills shows that in Key Stage 1 in 2013, looked after children did worse than their York peers and looked after children across the country in reading, writing, and maths.

Further up the school, those figures are reflected in Key Stage 2 in 2012 and 2013, although the very small number of children in care in York means the statistics can be misleading, the council said. The city had 169 looked after children in school this year, 117 of whom were educated in York, and in the lower year groups - Key Stages 1 and 2, there are at times only a handful of looked after children making up the cohort.

But as children get older and the number of looked after children in each year group grows, the council says educational achievement tends to increase and early indications on this year's GCSE results show that looked after children's results are catching up with others in the city.

Mr Lovelady said: "The exam results are testament to the hard work of the young people themselves, the tireless efforts of their teachers and the dedication and commitment of their foster carers and carers who continue to encourage the young people to strive for excellence."

The report also sets out the work of a "virtual school" made up of all the looked after children at school in York, and monitor their achievement and attendances.

He added: "We know that the coordination by the head teacher of the Virtual School of Looked After Children will continue to further narrow the gap and ensure that York’s looked after young people go on to further education, employment or training after their schooling.

“Young people from year 11 have enjoyed encouraging results in August and their many new opportunities post 16 are a positive reflection upon their hard work and the support they have received.”