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.