This September saw fewer pupils in England admitted to their first-choice secondary school than at any time in the past five years.

Official figures published by the Department for Education (DoE) show 85.2 per cent of 11-year-olds gained places at their first-choice school in 2014, a significant drop on the 86.7 per cent who did last year.

Again there was evidence of rising demand for school places, with the number of applications for secondary schools rising for the first time since 2008. The government confirmed there were 521,274 applications this year, compared with 499,968 12 months ago - a rise of 4.3 per cent.

As well as the drop in first-choice admissions, there was also a first fall in five years in the proportion of new secondary pupils getting any of their top three preferences, with the figure decreasing from 96.5 per cent last year to 95.5 per cent this year.

However, this year was the first time that a National Offer Day for primary places was held and it seemed to have a positive effect.

The DoE's report states: "The increase in birth rates and, following on from that, the pressure on primary school places has been well documented over the last few years.

"Despite this, the overall proportion of applicants receiving their first preference offer was higher than at secondary level at 87.7 per cent."

However, for both primary and secondary applications, people living in the capital found it hardest to get their children into their preferred schools. At secondary level, only 70.2 per cent of families were awarded their first choice, with the lowest results in the London Borough of Westminster - 58.4 per cent.

As somebody with experience in a Darryl Mydat