The new courses are said to be popular with students

Initial findings from 93 Ofsted visits to schools in England are that students view the new courses positively.

They see them as practical and relevant to their working futures.

But Ofsted says schools should offer the new qualifications to a wider range of students if they are to have the same standing as traditional GCSEs.

'Parity of esteem'

Schools and colleges in England began teaching the new, two-year courses in applied GCSEs last September.

APPLIED GCSEs COVER EIGHT SUBJECTS art and design business engineering health and social care information, communication and technology manufacturing science leisure and tourism

The qualifications are intended to supersede Part One GNVQs. Full course GNVQs are continuing for the time being, until suitable replacements are devised.

The idea behind bringing vocational qualifications under the GCSE label was to try to give them equal worth with the more academic subjects.

Ofsted's report says such "parity of esteem is more often established where courses are provided for a substantial proportion of pupils, rather than just the low-attaining or disenchanted".

Standards of achievement and quality of teaching and learning were "generally holding their own" in comparison with traditional GCSEs.

Teaching was good or better in more than two fifths of lessons - similar to traditional subjects.

In applied science, pupils' achievement was higher than in equivalent double science courses - the route by which most people now do science at GCSE level.

In leisure and tourism, however, "achievement was generally unsatisfactory".

'Urgent need'

The chief inspector, David Bell, said: "Overall we have found that the work-related dimension of these courses is significantly underdeveloped.

"These subjects are designed to provide students with the opportunity to gain vocational experience and it is disappointing to see that this is only happening in a minority of the schools visited.

"In order to enhance the work related dimension of the new courses, links with local businesses urgently need to be developed."

The report also says teachers need more guidance in assessing how well students are doing.