Figures released in parliament show there were just 119 GCSE passes in public sector young offender institutions in 2010/11, the latest year for which figures are available.
That is a 49 per cent drop on the number of passes for 2009/10, when the figure stood at 232.
Although there has been a decline in the number of young people in custody – the decline in GCSE passes is far steeper.
Youth Justice Board figures show the average number of 15- to 17-year-olds in custody for the period fell from 2,285 in 2009/10 to 1,941 in 2010/11 – a drop of 15 per cent.
Frances Crook, chief executive of the Howard League for Penal Reform, described the fall in GCSE passes as “very concerning”.
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