Nearly 97 per cent of the county’s children have been allocated a place at one of their preferred primary schools.

Of the 14,389 applications for reception places received for Hertfordshire children, 13,938 have been allocated a primary school.

Hertfordshire County Council have announced 86 per cent of children were allocated their first choice, compared to under 85 per cent last year.

More than 17,000 Hertfordshire families will be informed of their offer of a school place today or tomorrow.

Jenny Coles, director of Children’s Services said: "Starting primary or moving on to junior and middle school is an important step and we work extremely hard to make the applications and allocation process smooth and straightforward.

"This is a considerable challenge given the significant growth in primary school population over the last decade. However, we are committed to ensuring that where the county’s population grows we build the appropriate infrastructure and have spent more than £200m since 2010 to provide more than 3,800 additional reception places.

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