Schools facing flood of appeals as 5,000 lose out

Thousands of children in London are facing an agonising wait over Easter after being rejected by their chosen secondary schools.

Boroughs in the capital revealed today that more than 5,000 11-year-olds failed to get an offer from any of the six secondary schools their parents put down as preferences for September.

The high volume of rejections is now set to trigger a large number of appeals - which will take weeks or even months - as many families who missed out on all their preferences will have been offered unpopular schools with plenty of vacancies.

London Councils, the body which represents the capital's town halls, admitted that almost 28,000 children were refused entry to their first choice secondary schools. In some areas, little more than half the families applying for a place in September got their first choice.

Schools minister Jim Knight insisted it was "absurd" to say children would miss out on a first-class education if they had to go to their second choice school.

But he has urged unhappy parents to appeal - provoking the fury of headteachers, who say that appeals tie schools up in knots of red tape.

The National Confederation of Parent Teacher Associations said the figures were unacceptable and warned parents the appeal process was long and emotionally exhausting.

Spokeswoman Margaret Morrissey said: "You must go to appeal but you need to be really aware how stressful it is and how little chance you've got. Last year, just 11.4 per cent of all appeals launched went in parents' favour in London." But she added: "That doesn't mean you won't do it because if you don't you will never forgive yourself."

The Advisory Centre for Education, a charity, has launched a text messaging service giving parents advice on how to appeal. Mrs Morrissey urged families to write down what they wanted to say before the hearings.

London Councils said of the 78,185 children who applied this year, 64.27 per cent - 50,249 children - got an offer from their first choice. Most of the rest got a place at one of their preferences. But some 6.59 per cent - 5,152 - did not get an offer from any of their six choices. Wandsworth had the lowest proportion of pupils granted first choices, at 50.8 per cent. In Waltham Forest 97.57 per cent got their first choice.

Mr Knight said: "Ten years ago, London parents had Hobson's choice between poor schools. That's been transformed - seven out of 10 are now rated good or outstanding. We are turning every school into a good school."

*no secondary state school in borough