Schools in the East End dividing by race

A study by the Young Foundation charity found that the problem is particularly acute in this part of the capital.

In Tower Hamlets, 17 primary schools have more than 90 per cent Bangladeshi pupils and nine have fewer than 10 per cent. In the borough's 15 secondaries, three faith schools - including two run by the Roman Catholic church - have less than three per cent Bangladeshi pupils. By contrast, two secondaries have more than 95 per cent Bangladeshi pupils and three over 80 per cent.

Shadow education secretary David Willetts said the next Tory government would try to combat the problem by allowing new city academies to select by race.

He said that while he was against quotas, the academies offered the chance to get charities and others to help improve relations through selections policies.

The Tories have pointed to figures in northern mill towns, where the problem of segregation appears to be worst, but there are also areas in the capital hit by the phenomenon.

The Young Foundation study also found that white working class parents were increasingly using faith schools as a refuge from Bangladeshi-dominated schools while growing numbers of Eastern European migrants have put pressure on local Catholic schools.

A study by Bristol University has also found that 60 per cent of white pupils in Tower Hamlets are at schools with a white majority. Mr Willetts said that placing the new academies in areas close to different racial groups should be looked at, together with moves to help primary schools break down barriers.

"There are parts of England where our towns are divided by race and religion into two very distinct groups," he said.

"In those communities which are deeply divided we could use the creation of new academies to improve links between the communities by setting the aim of recruiting students from both those communities.

"It is a free country, so no one can be forced to apply for a school and we don't want to bus children around. But we do see potential for a positive role in tackling the growing ethnic segregation in our schools."

Across the country, Blackburn with Darwen in Lancashire has the worst segregation, with four out of nine secondary schools attracting more than 90 per cent of students from a single community.