LONDON - London's 2012 Olympic Stadium could house a school after the Games, Olympic Minister Tessa Jowell said on Tuesday.

Construction of the 80,000-seater east London stadium, which will cost nearly 500 million pounds ($994 million), is due to begin later this year. A full-time sporting tenant for the site post-2012 has yet to be found.

London's Organising Committee (LOCOG) have maintained that the post-Games stadium will retain an athletics track, while talks continue with football and rugby clubs.

However, the government is now looking at an additional educational legacy for the stadium.

"The stadium has the potential to inspire future generations with the Olympic ideals of young people striving for excellence," Jowell said in a statement.

"A school designed to nurture sporting and related achievement could be an excellent legacy embodying those ideals."

Jowell emphasised that any educational use would complement and not replace the sporting legacy to be left behind.

"We need to be sure that any new provision would be viable as part of future plans for sport and for the Olympic Park," she said.

The review panel will consult with various sporting and educational bodies such as the British Olympic Committee and UK Sport, with the recommendations expected by June.