Under new government plans designed to improve classroom standards, the value of more than 3,100 vocational qualifications have been cut.

At present, some of the more obscure subjects, such as horse care, can be worth the same as four GCSEs.

And according to the coalition, this has served to distort the importance of more mainstream subjects.

Reflecting on the reforms, education secretary Michael Gove said: "The changes we are making will take time, but will transform the lives of young people.

"For too long the system has been devalued by attempts to pretend that all qualifications are intrinsically the same. Young people have taken courses that have led nowhere."

The Department for Education has confirmed that it will be reviewing the majority of qualifications to ensure they meet the new standards after 2014.

New Ofsted boss Sir Michael Wilshaw, meanwhile, recently expressed his determination to see more children study traditional subjects in school.