Schools to get 'Beckham A-levels'

Football-mad boys at risk of dropping out of the education system are to be offered the chance to take a "Beckham A-level" to stop them abandoning their studies.

A plan to get up to 200 colleges to offer a new BTEC sports course from the autumn is being supported by the Premier League in the hope that it will help reverse the trend of boys leaving school with no qualifications.

Many youngsters see heroes like David Beckham, who left school without having taken GCSEs, and do not see why they should bother. But the new course is designed to help them improve their sporting abilities as well as allowing them to gain a qualification.

Teenagers taking the BTEC would have to learn about the psychology behind the success of Premiership teams, study the ethics of sport and the science of fitness and nutrition.

The Premiership became involved with the scheme while looking for courses that could be taught to youths passing out of the football clubs' academies after 16. The players, called scholars, have to keep up their education for a further two years.

But 90 per cent of them do not end up in the Premiership and are released by the clubs. Many are not keen pupils and end up without the qualifications they need to get a job. Peter Cates, education officer for the Premier League, said: "The boys represent a complete cross section and some of them go on to A-levels and degrees.

"But there are some, understandably, for whom the requirement to continue studying is something of an imposition. We needed something suited to their needs.

"Those who are motivated are not the problem but striving to become a professional footballer at 16 or 17 is very demanding. We wanted something which would engage their interest." The courses will be available to girls and those outside football.