BRIGHTON and Hove’s children in care are attaining higher exam results than the national average.

In reading and writing tests the city’s 11-year-olds in care outperformed the national figure for children in care, although in maths they fell slightly behind.

The figures were shared with Brighton and Hove City Council’s children young people and skills committee last night.

Pinaki Ghoshal, the council’s executive director for families children and learning, said: “Our ultimate ambition should always be to have results for children in care in line with the mainstream.

“But the case studies are also very encouraging because they show the work that’s going in and what it means for the young people.

“For some children it hasn’t led to a result which will improve the data, but for the young person concerned, they’ve got an achievement, and if you’re a child who’s gone through a really tough time that’s so important.”

At Key Stage Two, 50 per cent of the city’s children in care achieved the expected standard in reading, compared with 41 per cent nationwide.

In writing, again, half of Brighton children in care achieved the standard, which is better than 46 per cent nationally; and in grammar punctuation and spelling tests 56.3 per cent of the city’s primary pupils in care achieved the standard, against 44 per cent.

In maths tests, 37.5 per cent of the cohort got the desired results, whereas the figure nationally for 2016 was 41 per cent.

Council officer Mark Storey told the committee: “Our progress on reading in writing is in line with all children, and that would be considered good.”

For children in care to be progressing through school years at the same rate as the mainstream cohort is a good result when considered against national and historic norms.

One of the case studies presented to councillors explained: “Student A is in Year 3. He became looked after in Feb 2016 due to mum’s mental health issues and domestic violence in the home. A achieved a very low score at the end of the Early Years Foundation Stage.

“A was placed with an experienced and nurturing foster carer and attended primary school where he received a great package of support... A is now placed with an adopter and is doing well. He loves his new school and has settled in and made friends quickly. The emotional and learning support he received in Brighton has stood him in good stead and he is now making accelerated progress.”