More students get preferred school

Of these 82 per cent will go to their first choice school, compared in 81 per cent in 2015.

Parents and carers in Hertfordshire who have registered an email address will be sent their allocations from 4pm today (Monday, April 18). Allocation information will then be made available online at www.hertsdirect.org/primaryoptions

Youngsters who have not been offered their first preference school will automatically be placed on the continuing interest list for any schools named which are higher on their application form than the school offered.

An extra 270 reception places have been made available through this process, including 30 places at Belswain Primary School in Hemel.

Parents can also consider making a new application to any of the schools offering additional places.

Andrew Simmons, deputy director for children’s services, education at Herts County Council, said: “We want all children to have access to a good education so they can reach their full potential, with the right number of school places in the right location, so I’m delighted that the vast majority of children have been allocated one of their ranked schools.

“This is a significant challenge given there are 10,000 more children under the age of four in Hertfordshire today than a decade ago. However, we are committed to ensuring that where the county’s population grows we build the appropriate infrastructure and have spent more than £180m since 2010 to provide more than 3,200 additional reception places.

“We are working alongside free schools and academies to attract extra funding for more school places where they are most needed.”