PLANS for 14-year-olds to drop academic subjects to learn work-based skills have come under fire from the York-based Campaign for Real Education.

Campaign chairman Nick Seaton has warned that children will lose out if they have the chance to opt out of studying subjects such as geography and history and instead learn vocational skills like carpentry, plumbing or hairdressing.

Under changes to be phased in between now and the 2005-6 academic year, core subjects like English, maths, science, IT and citizenship will remain compulsory. But children will be able to give up optional subjects like languages, history or geography to free up time for learning work-related skills.

Mr Seaton said although there were youngsters who were better at practical based learning, everyone needed the basics.

He said: "I think it is good that youngsters leaning towards practical subjects are being given the chance to excel. Having said that I cannot understand why citizenship should be a core subject at the expense of important subjects such as history and geography.

"It is essential for their future careers they have knowledge of key subjects such as English, maths and history and geography, which are vital. They will hardly have any time spent on these subjects if they start at 11-years-old and finish at 14. I think there are some youngsters who hate academic work who want to get on with practical things, but we all need the basics."

Critics claim the changes - to be officially announced next week - would destroy the comprehensive ideal and result in a return to the "educational segregation" last seen in the era of secondary moderns.

According to Education Minister Ivan Lewis, instead of forcing children to take subjects which alienate them, the new system will "build a learning programme around the individual." He said the shake-up of education and training for 14 to 19-year-olds was intended to reduce the numbers of youngsters who got bored with school and dropped out at 16.

Updated: 10:46 Saturday, January 18, 2003