by political editor Paul Francis

Eight out of ten children have been offered a place at their first choice secondary school in Kent this year, a small increase on last year.

Thousands of ten and eleven-year-olds found out on Tuesday March 1 the outcome of their applications for secondary school places.

But a computer glitch meant a number of parents were able to find out sooner than expected after several were able to access a website notifying them of their applications a day earlier.

County education chiefs say just over 80 per cent of children - 12,725 pupils - will be going to the school they most wanted in September compared to 78.5 per cent last year.

A further 11 per cent were allocated a place at their second preference, some 1,753 children.

Just under four per cent - 620 children - did not receive a place at any of the four schools they opted for and were allocated a school by the council.

Around 17,500 applications were processed this year with 15,890 coming from Kent families.

But as in previous years, the scramble for places at the most heavily over-subscribed schools has resulted in disappointment for some. The eight most popular schools were all non-selective, with Homewood School in Tenterden top of the list.

KCC said about 100 children who passed the 11-plus had not at this stage been offered a grammar school place.

It follows concerns raised last year when some children were offered places at the county’s selective schools miles away from their homes. In one case, a student from Sevenoaks was offered a grammar place at a school in Folkestone.

Cllr Sarah Hohler (Con), KCC cabinet member for childrens services, said that did not mean those children would not eventually be offered a grammar school place.

"Last year, parents told us they did not like being offered a place that involved a long journey. This does not mean we have no available places at grammars but for now we have allocated a place at a wide-ability school which is much nearer to their home."

There has also been a fractional increase in the number of out-of-county applicants being offered places. About a third of the 1,500 from outside Kent who sought places have been offered one.

Cllr Hohler urged parents who had not got the result they wanted not to panic.

"This is just the beginning of a long process and it is bound to happen because our schools are generally very popular. The first thing to do is for parents to look carefully at what they have been offered, visit the school and get a feel for it. If the parents are still not happy they can join the waiting lists for their preferred schools and appeal. There is a substantial shake down of places by September," she said.

Kent County Council will send out emails to parents who applied online later today at about 4pm while those who applied by post will receive letters either Tuesday or Wednesday.

For information on how to appeal, go to www.kent.gov.uk/secondary admissions. Parents can also contact the council on 01622 696565 or speak to a choice adviser on 01622 694073 or 01622 694065.

• Did you get the school you wanted? Let us know via the comments section below or email mercurynews@thekmgroup.co.uk