County education chiefs say they are facing a growing challenge to find enough school places as more and more applications come outside Kent.

The warning comes as the authority revealed 19,442 applications for secondary places were made this year - an increase of 645 on last year.

Parents will find out today where there child has been allocated a place on what is now known as National Admissions Day.

Scroll down for audio

Despite the growing pressure, KCC says it has managed to give most children either their first or second preference.

Cllr Roger Gough, KCC cabinet member for education, said: “As we predicted, this has proved Kent’s most challenging year due to record numbers of applicants.

"In spite of the significant increase, 13,446 families will receive their first preference and 1,857 their second preference school.”

KCC data shows that 616 children were not offered a place at any of the schools they asked for.

At the same time 250 more children succeeded in getting their first preference than last year and overall, 96% were offered a place at one of the four schools they applied for.

Cllr Gough said increasing numbers of applications came from outside the county - including London and neighbouring authorities.

Of the 2,745 applications from elsewhere, about a third - 810 - were successful.

“Although this is a credit to our schools and their growing popularity, it makes meeting parental preferences ever more challenging.

"Out of the 19,442 applications received, 2,745 of these were from parents who do not live in Kent, and about a third of this number secured an offer of a Kent school.”

“Unfortunately it is not always possible to offer parents one of their preferred schools.

"School allocations can only be made by KCC after all other preferences have been satisfied.

“For those who have not secured a preferred school, I would like to reassure parents this is the very first stage of the school allocation process" - KCC's Roger Gough

"Again we have seen many of those in need of an allocation, failing to name more than one preference.

"This limits the opportunity to access local schools at the outset and may mean we must offer an available school outside the immediate area if local schools have been filled with named preferences.

“For those who have not secured a preferred school, I would like to reassure parents that this is the very first stage of the school allocation process and that a specialist Kent County Council team is on hand to help with any queries they may have.

"There will be considerable movement through waiting lists and the appeals process between now and September."

More than 91% of all applications were made online which means from 4pm today thousands of Kent families will be logging on to view their accounts or receiving an email to find out which secondary school their child has been offered for this September.

For families who applied on paper forms, offers will be going out by first class post on March 1 and letters should arrive over the next few days.

Appeals:

• Parents will have until 16 March to accept or refuse their offer and return waiting list forms.

• Parents must also lodge any appeals for their named schools by March 29to be heard as on time.

• KCC will reallocate places from schools waiting lists sending out a second round of offers on April28

• From April 29, schools will maintain their own waiting lists and parents can apply to schools direct via the ‘In Year Common Application Form’ after this date to ask to be placed on the waiting list

For advice, you can email kent.admissions@kent.gov.uk or go to www.kent.gov.uk/secondaryadmissions