Diplomas gaining dramatic support

The RSC is developing the humanities Diploma: Sir Ian McKellen as King Lear

The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) is the latest high-profile backer of the Diploma qualification for secondary schools and colleges in England.

The RSC is to help develop the humanities Diploma, one of the so-called "academic" Diplomas.

Diplomas have struggled to attract students - but Schools Secretary Ed Balls says the qualification is gaining the approval of employers.

Mr Balls says there are now 108 industry "champions" for Diplomas.

"The fact that we have exceeded our target on recruiting employer champions shows that Diplomas are popular with the people who matter in the job market - the employers," said Mr Balls.

There are about 3,700 students taking a creative and media Diploma in its first year, at stages equivalent to GCSE and A-level.

Slow take-up

The Department for Children, Schools and Families says this qualification, aimed at 14 to 19-year-olds, is intended to "combine theoretical study with practical learning".

The RSC is going to assist in the development of the humanities Diploma, which will be available to pupils from 2011.

It will be one of the academic Diplomas - intended to broaden their appeal beyond students seeking a vocational alternative to GCSEs and A-levels.

Michael Boyd, artistic director of the RSC, said he wanted the new qualification to "offer a real opportunity for rigorous, cross-disciplinary learning".

"The humanities Diploma will introduce young people to some of the themes they encounter in literature - including Shakespeare's plays - such as democracy, dictatorship, moral ambiguity, legal battlefields and humanity," said Mr Boyd.

The first five Diplomas were launched in September 2008 - in creative and media, information technology, health and social care, construction and the built environment and engineering.

There are about 12,000 students in this first wave of the qualification, which has been billed as a possible replacement for A-levels - a take-up rate much lower than had been predicted.

Of these, 3,696 are studying for creative and media Diplomas.

The most popular Diploma so far is creative and media.