Teachers are to be banned from encouraging their pupils to study A levels rather than the Government’s controversial new vocational diploma qualifications under legislation that is going through Parliament.

A clause in the Education and Skills Bill, to be debated in Parliament today, says that schools will be forbidden from “unduly promoting any particular options” to teenagers seeking advice on courses.

The move has been criticised by academics, who say that the Government is desperate for the diplomas to succeed at all costs.

Others fear that the new and “impartial” mortgage-style advice will not be in the best interests of pupils as teachers unconvinced of the worth of the diplomas will be unable to pass on their concerns to either them or their parents.

The qualifications are designed to end the divide between vocational and academic learning and will be offered at some schools from September and across England and Wales by 2013.

Ministers are promoting diplomas as the “jewel in the crown” of the education system. Ed Balls, the Schools Secretary, recently said that they would become the “qualification of choice” and refused to confirm that A levels would survive beyond a review in 2013.

However, the diplomas programme has been met with concern and caution by many employers and universities, with some yet to declare that they will accept them. Teachers are equally uncertain how they will work in practice.

Academics, union leaders and educational experts said last night that the clause in the Bill puts schools and teachers in an impossible position.

Alan Smithers, Professor of Education at the University of Buckingham, said that it undermined teachers, who were in the best position to give advice to pupils. He said: “It seems this is inhibiting teachers in their professional practice, [and it] could be connected with a drive to push diplomas at all costs. They will be valuable ladders from school to work — but not an attractive option for all pupils.”

Steve Sinnott, the general secretary of the National Union of Teachers, said: “If there is a major educational reform, then the professional judgment of teachers has to be trusted. You can’t put a set of restrictions in there about their judgment.”

The first 14 diplomas covered subjects such as hair and beauty, travel and tourism. But the latest wave, announced in October, includes languages, humanities and science — apparently to appeal to middle-class parents and traditional universities.

Some subjects, such as engineering, appear destined to succeed, with at least seven universities saying that they will accept it as an entry qualification for relevant degree courses.

Diplomas will come in three levels. The Government has said that top marks in the advanced diploma will be worth more than three A levels. However, a survey suggested that fewer than four in ten university admissions officers saw them as a “good alternative” to A levels.

In November, the Nuffield review said the introduction of diplomas had been rushed and that middle-class families would continue to favour traditional courses. A report published yesterday by the Policy Exchange think-tank said they were being launched with an ambitious, complex and expensive design, and an uncertain future.

Julia Neal, the president of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers, said: “What we don’t know is exactly how universities are going to approach diplomas. Technically, they will have the same currency as A levels, but only time will tell.”

Ann Hodgson, of the University of London Institute of Education, served on the Tomlinson committee, whose report led to the latest reform. “I think teachers will be put in a difficult position,” she said. “It’s very important that they give full information about the diplomas, and what they are likely to lead to.”

A spokeswoman for the Department for Children, Schools and Families said the Government wanted pupils to have advice on the range of available options: “It is not about promoting one option over another, since it is up to individual pupils to decide the best route for themselves, in discussion with their parents and teachers.”

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