'Academic' diplomas axed as schools pledged more freedom

The Department for Education (DfE) also announced that state schools will be able to to teach international GCSEs (IGCSEs) in core subjects such as English and maths from September.

Education Secretary Michael Gove said the new Government wants to give schools greater freedom over the qualifications they offer.

So-called "academic" diplomas in humanities, science and languages were due to be introduced in September 2011, but have now been dropped.

The Tories originally mooted the idea of scrapping the three qualifications – which had been hailed by Ministers in the previous Government as a potential replacement for GCSEs and A-levels – last year.

Business leaders also previously raised concerns about the subject-based diplomas, which combine work experience with academic learning.

In 2008, CBI director-general Richard Lambert said many employers had "serious reservations" about their worth.

Announcing that state schools will be able to teach IGCSEs, Schools Minister Nick Gibb said he wanted to remove the "red tape" surrounding the qualifications. Several top performing secondaries have expressed an interest in the exams, the DfE said.

IGCEs are favoured by many private schools who believe they are tougher qualifications than traditional GCSEs.

Cambridge International Examinations (CIE), one of the exam boards offering IGCSEs, sought approval last year for courses in English, English Literature, maths, biology, chemistry, physics, and information and communications technology to be allowed in state secondaries.

But the Government rejected the application , saying the qualifications failed to meet the requirements of the curriculum in these key subjects.

Mr Gibb said: "For too long, children in state maintained schools have been unfairly denied the right to study for qualifications like the IGCSE, which has only served to widen the already vast divide between state and independent schools in this country.

"By removing the red tape, state school pupils will have the opportunity to leave school with the same set of qualifications as their peers from the top private schools – allowing them to better compete for university places and for the best jobs.

"It's not for Government to decide which qualifications pupils should take, or to force the development of new qualifications, which is why we are stopping development of the state-led 'academic diploma' in humanities, sciences and languages. Instead, we will devote our efforts to making sure our existing qualifications are rigorous, challenging and properly prepare our young people for life, work and study."