Labour has been warned not to 'sabotage young people's futures' after it announced a review of GCSEs which will usher in new subjects such as 'Creative Media Production' and 'Child Development'.

Education Secretary Lucy Powell wants to elevate vocational subjects to the same level as academic disciplines by offering new job-focussed GCSEs which could also include 'Digital Tech', 'Building and Construction' and 'Business Management and Finance'.

Officials said English, maths and science will still remain compulsory for all pupils, but the new subjects will be offered as alternatives to things like history and drama.

The review, which will be unveiled by the end of this year, will also see a greater focus on 'practical skills and assessments' in hands-on subjects such as music, computing and physical education (PE).

But last night the Tories said they did not trust the pledge to keep core academic subjects compulsory and warned that any review risks watering down the high academic standards of GCSEs.

Earlier this month, England's pupils soared to the top of international education league tables in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), run by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.

Their success was attributed to more than a decade of reforms to toughen up GCSEs under the previous Tory governments.

Laura Trott, shadow education secretary, said Labour risks 'sabotaging young people's futures'.

She said: 'Just weeks after the latest PISA results showed English pupils climbing into the world's top ten for reading, maths and science, they want to rip up the system and review existing GCSEs.

'Soaring up international league tables didn't happen by accident. It followed years of evidence-led reform built around knowledge, rigour and high expectations.

'Labour risks throwing that progress away if English, maths and science become not a requirement for new qualifications.

'Better schools will continue to protect rigorous subjects but disadvantaged children will be steered towards easier routes, lowering expectations for the very pupils who need high standards most.'

The new vocational GCSEs will replace existing technical qualifications, which have been criticised for a lack of uniformity on a national level.

The Department for Education (DfE) hopes the new GCSEs will lead pupils smoothly on to V-levels and T-levels, the job-focussed alternatives to more academic A-levels.

Pupils can also mix and match the new GCSEs with the existing ones.

The DfE plans to add some of the vocational GCSEs to the 'humanities', 'creative subjects' and 'languages' subject areas which include the likes of French and history.

Currently, under the Progress 8 performance measure, pupils must take subjects from at least two of these areas – alongside compulsory English, maths and science.

Under the plans, work experience will also be offered to every GCSE pupil.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham said: 'We've all heard someone say 'school wasn't really for me' because they were not given the chance to study vocational courses as well as traditional subjects.

'That one-size-fits-all approach isn't working, so we're building an education system that values both academic and technical paths.'

Ms Powell added: 'Young people today are entering a world of work full of exciting opportunities. We need to prepare them for it. Time and again young people, parents and employers tell me they want schools to do more to help them understand and prepare for the jobs of the future.'

The new GCSEs are currently being designed and will be available from September 2029.

Officials said it would be 'part of a review of existing GCSEs', to 'create a complementary set of qualifications that give students greater choice, but avoid duplication or unnecessary overlap'.

Reacting yesterday, Carl Cullinane, director of research at the Sutton Trust, said: 'Overall, we welcome the bolstering of technical and vocational routes, given historic underfunding and skills gaps.

However, he added he was 'concerned' that disadvantaged youngsters might be 'nudged towards the technical track, increasing divides and ultimately reducing social mobility'. 

He added: 'These reforms shouldn't get in the way of efforts to narrow attainment gaps in crucial core subjects.'

Pepe Di'Iasio, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), said schools would need the 'staffing and resources' to deliver the new GCSEs, otherwise it would 'simply mean more upheaval and workload for hard-pressed schools, without actually achieving the objective'.