Britain's independent schools are “divorced from normal life”, Theresa May said yesterday as she warned they must do more to help children from poorer backgrounds or face losing their status as charities.

Mrs May was accused of "waging war" on private schools by announcing a series of new policy measures which threatened them with punishment unless they complied.

In her first major domestic policy announcement as Prime Minister, Mrs May said that elite private schools will only be able to maintain charitable status if they set up or sponsor Government-run sister schools.

She also announced that smaller private schools would have to send teachers to take lessons in state schools or be required to accept quotas of pupils who would otherwise be unable to afford private school fees.