Primary School Places: Fewer Parents Get First Choice

England`s first national offer day for primary school places has been marked by a decline in the number of parents receiving their first choice in some parts of the country, as councils race to open new classrooms to accommodate swelling school rolls.

More than 600,000 children are chasing reception class spots in thousands of state primaries across the country - with some cities and boroughs under greater pressure from population flux and the highest birth rate since the postwar baby boom of the 1950s.

Strenuous efforts by London boroughs have allayed fears of a city-wide crisis in primary schools places, with the proportion of families receiving their first preferences remaining the same as in 2013 - despite a record total of applicants.

The number of reception-aged - mainly four year-old - applicants passed 100,000 for the first time in London, with 102,441 wanting a place compared with 99,107 last year.