Education officials admitted number of school playing field sell-offs has increased again

Education officials admitted the tally of school playing field sell-offs has increased again - just hours after being forced into an embarrassing apology for issuing misleading figures.

Last night the Government said it had approved a total of 31 school pitches, 10 more than the Department for Education previously admitted to signing off and one more than the figures that sparked yesterday's statement of apology.

The Department for Education said the tally of 30 sell-offs related to information given to the media from the School Playing Fields Panel but the decision about the 31st school - Newquay Tretherras Academy - did not go before the experts because the school owned the freehold to its land.

Education Secretary Michael Gove has also overruled independent advice to approve sales of playing fields five times in the last 15 months.

The DfE said earlier this month that sales of 21 fields had been approved since 2010. The sales occurred despite a pledge in the coalition agreement which said the Government would "seek to protect school playing fields".

But figures obtained by the Daily Telegraph showed the number was far higher and the DfE issued a statement apologising. "We are sorry to say that the Secretary of State was provided with incorrect information about how many playing fields were disposed of since May 2010," a spokesman said.

"The figures presented to the Secretary of State, and published by the department, related to applications received between May 2010 and June 2012.

"Those figures should have included requests received by the previous government and then approved by the coalition."

Most approval decisions are taken by junior ministers after "careful consideration", the spokesman said.

He insisted that the Government has tightened protections for existing school playing fields.

Shadow education secretary Stephen Twigg said: "The fact that Michael Gove has ignored the advice of independent experts and ploughed ahead with selling off school playing fields shows he is shamefully out of touch.

"He also appears to have failed to disclose at least another 10 school playing field sell-offs when responding to a freedom of information request. This is misleading and incompetent, at the very least.

"Michael Gove must now come clean and explain what appears to be a secret programme to sell off school playing fields."

Schools minister Lord Hill usually makes decisions on playing fields on behalf of Mr Gove, it was reported.