ALMOST 97 per cent of pupils in Lancashire have been given a place at one of their preferred secondary schools for September.

Bosses at Lancashire County Council said the target had been reached despite a rise of more than 1,000 applicants since last year.

However, some parents said they had been left confused and upset after receiving notice their children had been placed at a school not on their top-three list, while also getting a letter dated 2014 confirming their position at their preferred school.

Chun Yip, from Barnoldswick, said his son Dylan will definitely be going to Ermysted’s Grammar School, rather than West Craven Technology College, as the letter from the council stated.

He said: “Bemused and perplexed don’t even cover some of the emotions I am feeling as how can the powers-that-be make such a massive error with such big consequences affecting the wellbeing of tens of families that we know of.”

Figures for secondary school admissions for 2015 entry show that 87 per cent will get their first preference, 9.5 per cent will go to schools which were their second or third preference, while 3.5 per cent have been allocated a place at other schools.

County Cllr Matthew Tomlinson, cabinet member for children, young people and schools at the county council, said the number of those receiving preferred places was likely to rise as appeals were heard and other adjustments were made.

He said: “Waiting to find out which secondary school you’ve been allocated can be an anxious time, for both parents and children. I have first-hand experience of this, so I know exactly how parents feel.

“School places are allocated fairly and objectively and every application is agreed upon using the criteria which have been agreed for that school.”

“Our admissions team do a good job advising parents how to use their preferences wisely and what to do if they are unhappy with the place they’ve got.”

In relation to Mr Chun’s complaint Paul Bainbridge, the council’s Pupil Access Manager, said: “We co-ordinated 13,480 secondary admission applications for September 2015 and are sorry that inaccurate offers were made to a small number of parents who applied to Ermysted’s Grammar School.

“We recognised our mistake and acted quickly to issue correct offers on 2 March 2015.”

If you wish to appeal a school placement, call 01254 220718.