PRIVATE schools in the region have reacted with anger to Labour claims that they refuse to play sport against state schools – insisting it is plain wrong.

Tristram Hunt, the party’s education spokesman, sparked controversy by vowing 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.”

Labour also turned its fire on three independent schools in the region for failing to make a “contribution” to the community to match what they take in business rate relief.

They are:

* Polam Hall School, Darlington. Relief: £66,074. Contribution - “a fashion show raising £1,000, a cycling challenge, and a Talent Show”.

* Cundall Manor School, York. Relief: £48,998. Contribution - “invites children from local primary schools to partake in a Sports Day held at the school”.

* Harrogate Ladies’ College. Relief: £110,432. Contribution – “shares facilities with the local community. It made a profit of £69,000 doing so in 2012”.

But John Moreland, Polam Hall’s headmaster, said: “That’s complete nonsense. It’s outrageous to say we are not doing our bit.”

He said Polam Hall’s under-16 netball team had been Darlington champions for the past five years, the school played in many other leagues and had helped host the Tees Valley Games.

Mr Moreland added: “We also work with about 15 community groups who borrow our facilities for free or at a reduced charge, including the Rotary Club, the police cadets and the council.”

That message was echoed by Alan Stevens, headmaster of Barnard Castle School, who said: “We play a wide range of schools, both state and independent, in an exceptional range of sports.”

And Kieran McLaughlin, at Durham School, said: “We are involved in a number of local leagues. Only this week, we host Durham Johnston School at a hockey match played on our Astroturf.

“Speeches such as these are designed to make a lot of noise. There is no coherent philosophy in what he says and certainly no ideas about how to raise the performance of state schools.”

However, Durham County Council said that while friendly fixtures were played against state schools - independent schools the county generally played in independent leagues.

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

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

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