Thousands of privately educated children in Devon could be forced to go to state school if Labour plans to abolish private education go through.

A pledge to end the 'tax privileges enjoyed by private schools' has been made by the Labour party after members voted to absorb all pupils and wealth from the sector into the state system, at its annual conference.

A January census undertaken by the Department for Education shows 6,527 pupils were attending 38 private schools across Devon.

That's six per cent of pupils in the area, one of the highest proportions in the South West.

Although some may travel from homes outside of Devon to attend their school of choice.

Private School Policy Reform, a new independent think tank, launched a report in September outlining options for reforming the independent sector.

These ranged from scrapping private schools' charitable status and charging tax on student fees, through to nationalisation.

But the Independent Schools Council (ISC) said a move to abolish private schools would constitute 'an attack on the rights and freedoms of parents to make choices over the education of their children'.

It added that the party's decision was 'an ideological distraction' from dealing with the real problems faced by state schools.

More than one in six primary school children and 16 per cent of secondary school pupils in Devon are taught in classes that are too large - those with more than 30 pupils.

Some classes have even swollen to 36 or more - 552 primary and 119 secondary pupils are in classes of this size.

ISC chief executive Julie Robinson said: "Every family with school-aged children would be affected if independent schools were abolished.

"State school class sizes would swell further, resources would be stretched and the financial strain on already-stretched budgets would be enormous."

Labour's Angela Rayner, shadow education secretary, added: "Boris Johnson has broken his promise to tackle the tax privileges enjoyed by private schools.

"The next Labour government will immediately close those tax loopholes and use that money to improve the lives of all children.

"Our Social Justice Commission will look at how private schools can best be integrated into the education system to make it fairer for all children, regardless of their background."

Across England's state schools, the number of pupils in large classes has increased in recent years.

In January, 11 per cent of primary school children were in classes with over 30 pupils - up from 10 per cent a decade ago.

For secondary schools, the figure is nine per cent, up from seven per cent in 2009.

A Department for Education spokesman said it would continue to ensure parents have a choice in where to send their children.

They added: "The UK boasts a diverse education system, in which state schools, independent schools and universities are encouraged to share their expertise and resources through our partnerships programme.

"The gap between state funded schools and independent schools has never been smaller - 85 per cent of state-funded schools are now rated good or outstanding compared to 68 per cent in 2010."

St John's School is a private school in Sidmouth and said they did not comment on political issues.