ALMOST 99 per cent of Lancashire children starting primary school in September have been offered a place at one of their three first choice schools.

In total, 12,734 children have been granted primary places in the county. Confirmation emails have been sent to families today to those who applied online and an offer letter to those who submitted a paper application.

Families who wish to seek more information about appeals or waiting lists have been given contact telephone numbers and email addresses for the three area school admissions teams.

The information is also available on the Lancashire County Council website along with details about the appeals process if families have not been allocated a school that works for them.

Jacqui Old CBE, executive director of education and children's services, said: "We are delighted to confirm that thousands of youngsters will be attending the school that is their parents' first choice. A young child starting school is such an important life event, so many families will be delighted that their child is going to the school of their choice.

"Our team has worked very hard to process more than 12,000 applications and know that the overwhelming majority of parents will be happy with their placement.

"We also recognise that a very small number of pupils have not been allocated one of their top choices. Where this is the case, we would encourage parents to talk to their local School Admissions Team about the options open to them."