The most popular secondary schools in Bristol revealed as hundreds miss out on top choices

AS many six children were vying for every place at one secondary school in Bristol as hundreds of families missed out on their top choices.

The most oversubscribed school in the city was Bristol Cathedral Choir School, a former independent which could have filled its Year 7 places six times over due to the staggering number of 11-year-olds hoping to sit at a desk there in September.

Also proving extremely popular with parents and students was John Cabot Academy in Kingswood, which attracted five applicants for every place.

Other in-demand schools were Colston's Girls' School, Redland Green, Cotham School, St Mary Redcliffe & Temple School and Bristol Free School. In the case of Redland Green, prospective pupils had to be living within 1.1km (0.7 miles) of the school gates to receive a place.

Thousands of families in Bristol learned of the secondary school they had been allocated when they received an email on Monday, which is known as National Offer Day.

In Bristol, 305 families failed to land a place at any of their three preferred schools. Some 878 families, almost one in every four applying, missed out on their top choice.

Among those left disappointed on Monday was Mohamud Abdi, whose son Adnan, 10, is in his final year at Millpond Primary School in Easton.

He missed out on his first choice of Winterbourne International Academy, second preference Redland Green and third choice, Cotham School.

Mr Abdi, who lives in Frenchay, said: "We've been offered Bristol Metropolitan Academy in Fishponds but in my opinion that doesn't have a good record. I'm appealing against the decision because I'm not happy."

A mum from Fishponds, who asked not to be named, said her 11-year-old daughter missed out on her first and second choice schools, John Cabot Academy and Bristol Cathedral Choir School.

In an email to the Bristol Post, she said: "We feel this is a sad time because her first choice is a follow-on school from her present school and closer to home than the third choice school (Downend School) we've been offered.

"She feels like she is a failure, having taken entrance exams for her first and second choice schools."

While some schools were oversubscribed, there were schools at the other end of the scale which struggled to receive enough applicants and are likely to have empty desks in their Year 7 group in September.

They include Hans Price Academy in Weston-super-Mare, The Grange School and Sports College (which is due to close and reopen as a studio school for 14 to 19-year-olds), Nailsea School and Henbury School.

Parents who missed out on their preferred school can go on a waiting list for their preferred school and/or lodge an appeal to an independent panel against the decision to refuse a place.

In Bristol, the number of applications for secondary places rose for the fourth year in a row, standing at 3,819.

Brenda Massey, councillor with responsibility for schools in Bristol, said: "Bristol has had its highest ever number of applicants this year, at 3,819. This is down to general population growth in the city, as well as the rise in primary numbers in to reception in 2007 and 2008.

"In spite of this, 92 per cent of families have been offered a place for their child at one of their preferred schools, putting Bristol in a good position for continued improvement in GCSE results. Confidence in Bristol schools is growing as performance gets better, and we are losing fewer children cross border."

In North Somerset, there were 2,078 applications. Of those, 94.7 per cent were allocated a place at their first choice school – up from 91.8 per cent last year.

Of the 2,685 applications in South Gloucestershire, 89 per cent got a place at their favoured school, down from 90 per cent last year.

In Bath & North East Somerset, there were 2,126 applications, with 93 per cent of pupils landing a place at their preferred school.