Children now in their junior years at primary school are likely to study for a baccalaureate certificate instead under proposals set out by Charles Clarke, the Education Secretary, and David Miliband, the School Standards Minister.

Their announcement effectively pensions off A levels at the end of this decade, 60 years after their introduction in 1951. GCSEs replaced O levels in 1988.

Mr Miliband said: “If you are doing GCSE now or coming up to your GCSE choices we want to send a very strong message that the system we have will be there. For children in the upper reaches of primary school at the moment we want a different sort of 14-to-19 system in place.”

Mr Clarke appointed Mike Tomlinson, the former Chief Inspector of Schools, to lead an inquiry into how a baccalaureate should be introduced and what students should study to achieve it.

Mr Tomlinson said that GCSEs and A levels were now “in the melting pot”. He will report by the end of this year.

Mr Clarke said that it was important for the new qualification to enjoy support from universities and employers, and that it evolved “from British traditions and history”.

Mr Miliband said that a single baccalaureate qualifications structure produced “significant benefits” in France, Germany and the United States.

“We think they offer the best route forward. We are opening the door to, potentially, the most significant reforms since the 1944 upper secondary reforms.”

The proposed change was announced in a White Paper setting out wide-ranging reforms of the secondary school curriculum for 14 to 19-year-olds from September 2004. English, maths, and science will remain compulsory for GCSE, with information and communications technology (ICT), though the latter could be phased out as a separate subject over time.

All pupils must also continue to take part in citizenship classes, PE, religious education and sex education. But they will no longer have to study a foreign language after 14, or design and technology.

They will also be free to drop all other subjects, including history, geography, art and music, although schools must give pupils the opportunity to study these subjects if they wish.

There will be a new requirement for all pupils to undertake “work-related learning” with employers between 14 and 16, whether or not they are pursuing largely academic or vocational courses.

Pilots of new “hybrid” GCSEs combining academic and vocational elements will begin in September.

The curriculum reforms could release some pupils from school for two days a week to attend courses at further education colleges or to gain skills with local employers.

Mr Clarke said the aim was to cut the number of young people dropping out of education at 16, though he ruled out raising the school leaving age. He said that the solution was to make their time at school more exciting so that they chose to continue in education, adding: “We need to reduce alienation.”

Some teenagers were bored by their GCSE studies and too many continued to believe that it was natural to leave school at 16. A quarter of pupils left education by 17, putting Britain 25th out of 29 industrialised countries.

Teachers will be encouraged to prepare individual learning plans with students at 14, setting out the skills and qualifications they need to achieve their goals by 19.

Mr Clarke confirmed that he had discarded plans for a distinction grade at A level to identify the most able students.

Children studying for an “English Bac” in future could be required to study English, maths and science, then choose from a range of academic and vocational courses, with added work experience, and voluntary activities to qualify for their certificate. There could be different levels, possibly foundation, intermediate or advanced, to reflect the ability and ambitions of individual students.

Head teachers’ leaders welcomed the proposals.

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