Pupils to be taught about the Olympic games - instead of geography

A major shake-up of the secondary school curriculum aims to make subjects "more relevant" by introducing "modern day issues".

Lessons in capital cities, rivers and continental drift will make way for "themed" teaching on issues such as the causes of climate change, the impact of buying clothes on poorer nations and the effects of the South-East Asian tsunami.

Other key subjects such as history and science will also be affected by the changes, which mark the biggest upheaval in secondary education since the national curriculum was introduced in 1988.

The measures, which come into force in September next year, will be unveiled by Schools Secretary Ed Balls next week.

Ministers hope they will encourage more pupils to stay on at school after the age of 16. But many teachers remain unconvinced.

A convention of history, English and science teachers on Thursday issued a plea for traditional subject disciplines to be protected.

The new curriculum will be followed by 11 to 14-year-olds. Other new subjects include "emerging" languages such as Mandarin and Urdu, as well as personal finance and practical cookery.

In cookery, pupils will be taught how to analyse a diet to ensure balance and variety, how to keep food safe at home and prepare contemporary healthy recipes.

The previous Education Secretary Alan Johnson insisted certain "untouchables" would remain in the curriculum, including the two World Wars. But swathes of other material will be relegated to optional status.

Mr Balls will announce that "sustainable development" will become a compulsory part of the geography curriculum. Pupils will learn to understand relationships between people and the environment by studying the impact of the tsunami.

They will also conduct fieldwork projects such as "the regeneration of East London as part of the 2012 Olympics".

And they will explore globalisation by looking at the impact of their choices as consumers, including buying clothes and trainers.

Schools minister Lord Adonis said: "We want geography to excite pupils so that they continue studying the subject when they leave school."