Michael Gove has overruled independent advice not to allow the sale of playing fields five times since 2010 and has been accused of responding to a Freedom of Information request on the matter with 'misleading' information.
The Education Secretary, who has to make the final approval on playing field sales or delegate it to a minister, has defied expert advice more times than Labour ministers did between 2001 and 2010, according to a report by the Daily Telegraph.
Labour ministers rejected advice not to sell playing fields four times.
Figures obtained by the newspaper also suggest a total of 30 school playing fields have been approved for sale - more than the 21 previously admitted to by ministers.
A further two applications are currently outstanding, while two have been rejected and another withdrawn.
A Department for Education spokesman said: "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.
"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.
"The established process of approval means that most decisions are taken by junior ministers.
"Each decision was made by a minister after careful consideration of the arguments. Ministers have sought to ensure that proceeds go to improving sports facilities for young people overall. We are, of course, happy to publish the reasons for each decision.
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.
"From the abolition of Labour's school building programme, to curriculum changes, Michael Gove has form when it comes to ignoring expert advice."
The Daily Telegraph said the minister normally responsible for taking playing field decisions on behalf of Mr Gove is Lord Hill, the schools minister.
The overruled decisions related to Woodhouse Middle School in Staffordshire, Clarborough Primary School in Nottinghamshire, Elliott School in Wandsworth, south-west London, and Ingleton Middle School in North Yorkshire.
A fifth decision to approve a sale at Netley Primary School in Camden, north London, was approved by ministers despite the application being withdrawn after the initial reports from the independent panel indicated the bid would be rejected unanimously.
Four of the schools are still operating, apart from Ingleton Middle School, which closed in July.
Twigg demanded the release of correspondence - including private emails - relating to the sale of the playing fields.
In a letter to Chris Wormald, the Department for Education's senior civil servant, Twigg said he was "deeply concerned" that Gove "failed to disclose around a third of the playing field sell-offs that have been approved since the general election".
He called for full disclosure in relation to the occasions Gove overruled the independent advice he was given.
"In the interest of what the Prime Minister once termed 'a new era of transparency', I would ask that you release all submissions and correspondence regarding these disposals, including via private email accounts, so that we can understand why the Secretary of State overruled his own expert panel."