LABOUR claims that private schools refuse to play sport against state schools – and should lose lucrative tax breaks – have been rejected in Bradford.

Bradford Grammar School hit back at the charge, insisting it played in local leagues in a range of sports including rugby, cricket and table tennis.

Meanwhile, both Bradford Grammar and Woodhouse Grove School – plus independent prep schools in the city – are members of the Bradford Secondary Schools’ Sports Association (BSSSA).

The BSSA runs competitions in everything from athletics, badminton, basketball and climbing, to netball, swimming tennis and taekwondo.

The row blew up when Tristram Hunt, Labour’s education spokesman, vowed to axe tax breaks from independent schools that joined “exclusive private-only competitions”.

Mr Hunt threatened they would lose business rate relief – worth “hundreds of thousands of pounds” to some – saying: “It is hardly difficult to join the local sports leagues.

“It baffles me that we can have private schools loaning a sports pitch to the local comprehensive once or twice a year, yet completely refusing to play them at football.”

But Kevin Riley, Bradford Grammar School’s headmaster, said Mr Hunt could not be talking about his school, saying: “We do play in local leagues.

“Yesterday we hosted the local All England Table Tennis Competition for West Yorkshire with local state schools taking part, including Horsforth, Morley, Brooksbank and Beckfoot.

“We also play local state schools at rugby and cricket.”

But Mr Hunt insisted only one-third of independent schools share their facilities, while only three per cent sponsor an academy and five per cent lend teaching staff to state schools.

And he said: “So I see absolutely no reason why private schools should persist with their exclusive private-only competitions.

“We would look to include regular participation in competitive extra-curricular activities with state schools as part of this settlement.”

That new settlement will, if Labour wins power, see the law changed to make private schools’ business rate relief conditional upon passing a ‘Schools Partnership Standard’.

Mr Hunt added: “Over the last few years we have seen the limitations of asking private schools politely, so the next Government will say to them ‘step up and play your part. Earn your keep’.

However, despite headlines accusing Mr Hunt of “class war” on private schools, others saw the announcement as cautious, because it will leave their £700 million of charitable tax relief untouched.

Ruling out that approach, Mr Hunt said: “Down that road lies a narrow solution which in the end will only increase isolationism. We want to end division - not entrench it.”

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