The Beccles Free School, in Woodbridge, near Ipswich, is run by the Seckford Foundation and will open in September with 10 year 7 pupils, 15 in year 8 and 12 in year 9, despite having room for 54 pupils in each year.
During a consultation into the plans for the free school only 21 people registered their approval for the proposals, while 3,000 objected to its establishment.
Christine Blower, NUT general secretary, said the lack of interest from local parents shows that the free school policy is “a dreadful waste of public money and interferes with proper school placement planning.”
She called for a public inquiry into the free school policy to uncover Gove's reasoning for allowing the school to open.
Blower added: “There was clearly no appetite for this school yet Michael Gove pressed ahead with it regardless. The number of pupils taking up places at the free school demonstrates the total lack of interest in a school which was neither wanted, nor needed in the area.”
Shadow education secretary Stephen Twigg warned that Gove is “wasting public money” by “pursing his pet projects.”
He said: “Michael Gove should explain to Parliament how much money has already been spent on this project, and whether he will allow it to continue if all the places are not filled.”
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