By Sean Coughlan BBC News education reporter

Ruth Kelly wants the "rest as well as the best" to succeed

Education Secretary Ruth Kelly says the plans will attack the "drop-out culture" of unqualified youngsters leaving school at 16.

"It will represent a dramatic change from where we are now," she said.

The Conservatives and Lib Dems have attacked the government's target setting in education.

Labour plans for education will include strong messages on the need to give all pupils the foundation stones of "functional" skills necessary for work and further studying.

'Parents' voice'

There will also be a strengthening of the parents' voice within the school system, an emphasis on improving classroom discipline, more for early years services and a reminder of the government's programme of modernising school buildings.

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"There will be a huge drive to ensure that nobody leaves school without a real grasp of literacy and numeracy. We'll be setting out proposals as to how we want to make that happen," the education secretary told the BBC News website.

"In primary schools we've already made a huge difference, with 78% of children getting up to the required standard for English. But we've got to do more for those who have not reached that level by the age of 11.

"And we've got to make sure that everyone gets up to GCSE standard by the time they leave school."

This "standards drive" to push students up to GCSE level would "open up opportunities to learn and to really take part in society and to get a job. If you haven't mastered the basics you're really disadvantaged."

Earlier this year the government announced plans to introduce a new "functional skills" test which students would have to pass before they could get a GCSE in maths and English.

As well as being part of the overall GCSE, these functional literacy and numeracy tests will be certificated in their own right.

'Blue collar education blueprint'

Employers have long complained that young people lacked a basic level of ability in writing and numeracy - a problem which the functional tests will seek to address.

I get it from parents who are worried about their children. They realise that too many people are dropping out of the school system at 16 or 17. They need skills to get on in life. Education Secretary Ruth Kelly

"At the moment, you could be fantastic at algebra, but not really able to calculate the area of a room. And clearly we've got to change that," says Ms Kelly.

With concerns in the Labour Party about its supporters failing to turn out on election day, this blue-collar education strategy seems to be targeting its traditional heartland voters.

On the doorsteps, she says, the big concern is about getting the type of training and qualifications for getting a good job.

"I get it from parents who are worried about their children. They realise that too many people are dropping out of the school system at 16 or 17. They need skills to get on in life. And a big expansion in this area will be tremendously popular."

The education secretary is also set to promote the role of parents in school.

"We know from all the evidence that parental involvement is extremely important in raising standards in schools. Parents want their voices to be heard - and we'll be setting out the ways in which we hope to make that happen."