PARENTS of children about to start primary school are preparing to find out which school their children have been allocated.

All families who submitted primary or infant school applications will be offered a place on Wednesday, April 16.

Gloucestershire County Council will be getting in touch to inform parents where their children have been placed for education starting in September.

Everyone throughout the county will be offered one school place on Wednesday and have until the end of the month to return their reply form – although are encouraged to return them as soon as possible.

Some 97 per cent of applications were made online this year.

People who applied this way can expect an email confirming the school place after 9am. Those receiving their first preference school will not receive a letter in addition to their email, while all other parents and carers will receive written notification of their child’s allocated school in the post.

The county council said that all 6,725 applicants have been allocated a space, nearly 90 per cent of which have been offered their first preference.

For those parents receiving a letter, an explanation of the decision made will be included while all further clarification about general issues will be on the county council website.

Cllr Paul McLain, cabinet member for children and young people, said: "This is always a particularly stressful time for parents but our teams work very hard to try to ensure that as many pupils as possible get one of their preferences.

“I hope that all children settle into their new schools in September and have a happy start to their formal education.”

Charlotte Jones, senior admissions manager, said: "I’d encourage parents to complete and return their reply forms as soon as possible, but definitely by April 30.

“We anticipate that most parents will be happy with the place offered to them. For those who aren't, I would urge them to keep their allocated place as this will ensure that, whatever the outcome; their child will have a place at a Gloucestershire school."

If parents ask for their child's allocation to be reconsidered, they can request that their child be placed on the waiting list for the school they wanted.

The admission criteria and more information about waiting lists for every school in Gloucestershire is available on the county council’s website www.gloucestershire.gov.uk/schooladmissions