Children living on Oxford's Blackbird Leys estate got the fifth worst GCSE results in the country, new statistics show.

Only 8.7 per cent of children there managed to get five A* to C grades, including English and maths, in 2007, compared with a 36.1 per cent average across Oxford.

The results renewed concerns about how well children from areas of so-called 'socio-economic deprivation' cope. It is hoped the new Oxford Academy will help change this.

Steve Lunt, headteacher of Oxford Community School, which teaches a small number of pupils from Blackbird Leys, said: "There are a whole range of complex issued associated with social exclusion, with expectations and high aspirations.

"There is a lot of evidence out there that suggests children from deprived socio-economic backgrounds do struggle to make progress. What we have attempted to do as a school is to try to make our school a centre of learning where they can come into school and feel safe."

Mr Lunt said there were programmes in place aimed at encouraging participation among more excluded groups, including a study programme held during the Easter holidays to give students who did not have a quiet place at home a space to revise.

He added: "There are still some families who do not have computers at home and that can be a factor as well.

"One of the things we are committed to is inclusion. In our school, the number of children getting five passes has risen significantly and we also have a high level of students staying on in post-16 education, which shows they are enjoying school."

Holme Wood, in Bradford, Worksop, in Nottinghamshire, Water Eaton, in Milton Keynes, and Marfleet, in Hull, were below Blackbird Leys in the table.

The percentage of pupils achieving five A* to Cs in any subject, not including English and Maths, in Blackbird Leys was 14.1 per cent, compared to 45.2 per cent in Oxford.

At the other end of the scale, an area of the county around Long Hanborough, described by Whitehall as 'West Oxfordshire 006', achieved the fourth best results in the country, with 89.6 per cent of pupils getting five good passes including English and maths.

The news that Blackbird Leys pupils were among the poorest performing came at the same time as figures were released showing there was a 2.3 per cent increase in the county of pupils gaining the benchmark five A* to Cs with English and maths in 2008.

Michael Wayne, Oxfordshire County Council's cabinet member for schools improvement, said he was delighted by the increase in this year's results but added: "Peers Academy was set up with the improvement of exam attainment specifically in mind. It has now started its work.

"The county council is deadly serious about improving GCSE results in every square inch of Oxfordshire — that very much includes Blackbird Leys."

The heads of St Gregory the Great School and the Oxford Academy, which both have large numbers of pupils from the estate, were unavailable for comment.