THE Tories have abandoned their commitment to parent-led schools in favour of academy mega-chains, Labour said yesterday as new figures showed few applications for parents’ “free” schools.

Just 3 per cent of free school applications approved by ministers this year were pushed by parents — compared to 35 per cent in the first wave in 2011.

Shadow education secretary Lucy Powell said the government had “snuck out” new rules for free schools, ditching the requirement for a survey of parental demand in the area of a proposed school.

“It’s increasingly clear that the government’s original concept of a free school is dead,” Ms Powell said.

“The Tories have all but abandoned the concept of parent-led schools, and are instead overseeing a huge expansion of academy chains.”

A recent education white paper showed the government was “relegating parents’ voices,” she said, by abolishing the requirement for parent governors as well as forcing schools to become academies.

“Ministers are misleading parents and devaluing their contribution to their children’s education, increasingly pushing them out of decisions affecting their schools,” said Ms Powell.

“Parents have already been gagged by the government when it comes to deciding on new academy sponsors for struggling schools.”

Her intervention came as the National Union of Teachers (NUT) blasted Education Secretary Nicky Morgan for failing to provide evidence to show that forced academisation would lead to school improvements.

“It is disgraceful,” said NUT deputy general secretary Kevin Courtney. “The government is pulling the statistical wool over our eyes.

“They cherry-pick statistics which do not compare like with like, they fail to provide meaningful international comparisons and they refuse to engage with the evidence which shows local authority schools improving faster.”

Earlier this week official sources indicated that the government would delay its academisation plans in response to the growing backlash.

Ministers hope more schools will convert voluntarily before they are forced to.