When asked, ""Which one of the following parties do you most trust to improve education?"" the results were:

Labour: 26 per cent (October 2007 score: 35 per cent of parents)
Conservatives: 36 per cent (24 per cent)
Liberal Democrats: 10 per cent (10 per cent)
Green: 1 per cent (1 per cent)
Other: 4 per cent (3 per cent)
Don't know/undecided: 23 per cent (26 per cent)

And the poll reveals that 42 per cent of parents say that the main change to the education system they would like to see is an expansion of work-based learning.

The top five changes to the education system and curriculum supported by parents are:

1) expansion of work-based learning: 42 per cent
2) more emphasis on teaching life skills: 38 per cent
3) better links between education and the world of work: 31 per cent
4) learning tailored to the needs of individual children in local schools: 28 per cent
5) more emphasis on practical learning in schools: 23 per cent

Commenting on the results, Andy Powell, CEO of Edge, said, ""With education such a key battleground for the parties this poll makes for interesting reading.

"The main parties all say they are in favour of more work-based and practical learning, but this poll shows that parents are now demanding action. They are sending a clear message to politicians that we should look closely at how the education system can better meet the needs of young people and the UK economy by providing more practical and vocational learning.

"Diplomas are a welcome first and it is encouraging to hear all parties expressing their support at party conferences for the existence of many high-quality paths to success."

Speaking at an Edge/New Statesman fringe event at last week's Tory party conference, John Hayes MP, Shadow Minister for Skills, said, ""Vocational learning is critical in all walks of life and Diplomas present an opportunity to develop a vocational qualification with integrity. However, we must not allow them to become a bastardised hybrid, but a quality route to success for many young people."

At a similar event at the Labour Conference in Manchester, Bill Rammell MP, former Minister for Higher Education, threw his weight behind the further roll-out of diplomas but cautioned that politics is the art of the possible and there would be no support to scrap A-levels at the moment.

However, Stephen Williams MP, Liberal Democrat spokesperson for skills described GCSEs as "an educational strait-jacket" and called for there to be more paths to success for young people to choose from.

"The Conservative Party has a healthy 10-point lead as the most trusted party on education by parents of children in full-time education, according to a new poll of 2,069 people by independent education foundation Edge.