A secondary school received a record-breaking amount of applications from pupils wanting to attend from September.

Parents across Hertfordshire recently found out whether their children had successfully gained a spot at their preferred school, with huge competition for places.

Data released by Hertfordshire County Council revealed children living in the borough of Watford are more likely than anywhere else in Hertfordshire to potentially be left disappointed by their allocation.

For the 2021/22 secondary school allocations, around 88 per cent of year 6 pupils living in Watford were given one of their preferred choices, which is the lowest proportion in the whole county.

Read more: Watford ranks worst for preferred school allocation

But it was a school within the Watford area that actually received more applications than any other school in Hertfordshire.

Parmiter's, in Garston, received a staggering 1,668 applications this year which is more than any of the previous six years, according to data available on the county council's website.

The school in High Elms Lane is always one of the toughest schools to get into, usually jostling with Queens' School in Bushey for the most applications, but this year, the figures show how difficult it was to gain a place at Parmiter's, with only 208 places up for grabs.

Queens' came in second place with 1,414 applications, followed by Rickmansworth School with 1,266 applications.

Our table below shows a full list of secondary schools in our area and how many applications were received.

Overall figures for Hertfordshire showed 95 per cent of children have been allocated a place at one of their preferred secondary or upper schools by Hertfordshire County Council, and out of the 14,752 Hertfordshire children who applied this year, 78 per cent gained a place at their first choice school.

Terry Douris, cabinet member for education, said: "Moving on to secondary or upper school is an important step and we work extremely hard to make the applications and allocation process smooth and straightforward. We want to ensure that as many children as possible get a place at one of their preferred schools.

"We all want the best possible education for our children and we know that the county has excellent schools that perform well above the national average.

"While I appreciate that a small number of parents may be disappointed with the school they have been allocated, I would encourage them to research the school and speak to the head teacher before dismissing the offered place. They may be pleasantly surprised by what they see."

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

Parents and carers have until March 15 to accept their school place.