Labour yesterday accused Education Secretary Michael Gove of freeing schools from all forms of accountability except to himself and pledged to abolish his “Kafkaesque” reforms.

Shadow education secretary Tristram Hunt and former education secretary David Blunkett said that contracts binding some schools to Mr Gove, but leaving them outside local scrutiny, made a mockery of the coalition’s localism policy.

The pair made the claim in their new in-depth report on schools reform.

Under Labour’s plans, power would move away from central government, with new independent directors of school standards driving up results in local areas.

Teaching union NASUWT leader Chris Keates said: “The interests of children and young people have suffered as a consequence of an ideological obsession on structural reforms and a desire to create a free market in education.

“The Blunkett review indicates that whilst there is waste and inefficiency in the system, it can be tackled through regulation, effective accountability and better local strategic coordination of education.”