New figures have revealed the most sought after primary schools in the Watford area, with one getting almost twice as many applications as it has places.
Families around the country will found out yesterday where their children will start in Reception in September and have until May 1 to accept or decline the offer.
Figures show that 87.9 per cent of the 1,259 Watford children were awarded their top pick, while 7.2 per cent were given their second choice.
Only 152 children in the town did not receive one of their four preferences, meaning 98.7 per cent were allocated to one of their choices.
The Nascot Wood Infant & Nursery School was the most oversubscribed in Watford as it was the first-choice for 115 children while there were only 60 places available.
It also received the most applications overall as parents put it down 309 times in total across their four school choices.
The Knutsford Primary Academy in Balmoral Road also saw significant demand as it received 74 first-choice applications for just 60 places.
In Three Rivers, several schools were oversubscribed for this autumn's school entry, notably the Harvey Road Primary School in Croxley Green which received 55 first choice requests for its 30 Reception places.
The Chorleywood Primary School was the first pick for 41 children despite only 30 spots, and the St Peter's C of E VA Primary School in Rickmansworth had 40 requests but only accepted 31 children.
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Another popular school was St Joseph's Catholic Primary in South Oxhey, which received 38 applications for 30 places.
In Bushey, 53 children applied for the Bournehall Primary School as their first choice while there were only 30 spots.
Across Hertfordshire, 89.13 per cent of 13,198 reception-age children received their first-choice against an average of 92.5 per cent nationwide.
Hertfordshire County Council director of education, Simon Newland, said: “We want every child in Hertfordshire to be able to achieve their full potential, and with over 90% of Hertfordshire schools rated as 'good' or 'outstanding' by Ofsted, we’re confident that we’re giving young people the best start in life.
“We work hard to make the applications and allocation process smooth and straightforward, and to ensure that as many children as possible get a place at one of their preferred schools.”
He encouraged parents who are disappointed by their allocation to visit the school before rejecting the offer.
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