MORE than 83 per cent of Southend children have got a place at their preferred primary school next year.

In the latest round of primary admissions, 83.6 per cent of the 1,865 applicants got a place at their school of preference, compared with 82.97 per cent last year.

The figures came amid predictions some children could be denied their first choice school place because birth rates across the town increased steadily since 2003, especially in areas like Leigh.

The baby boom meant Southend Council has had to implement a series of measures to ensure enough primary places are available.

Roger Hadley, Southend councillor responsible for children and learning, said: “Most of the children have been accommodated. The exceptions have been in the Leigh area where half a dozen children didn’t get their first choice of Leigh schools.

“Priority is always given to those closest to the school, which sometimes makes it very difficult to get a child into their first or second choice.”

The rise in the number of births follows the national trend, with increases of up to 24 per cent recorded for some areas.

If the rates continue to rise, it is predicted the council will need to create 261 extra places per year by 2016/17.

Several primary schools are undergoing work to expand their teaching space to let them take more pupils, including Temple Sutton Primary School, in Eastern Avenue, with talks under way to expand others in the town at a later date.

Mr Hadley said: “We hope to resolve the situation within the next three years when all the schools have expanded and we are hoping then that all parents will get their first or second choice.

“This will help keep children within a reasonable distance from their homes so they don’t have to travel so far.”

Of the remaining youngsters in the 2010/11 intake, figures released by Southend Council show 7.41 per cent got a place at their second preference school, and 2.56 per cent got a place at their third preference.

Alternative offers of schools outside parents’ top three preferences were made to 5.5 per cent, and 1.17 per cent of applicants were not made any offers.

Mr Hadley said: “We are working with parents to get these children to the nearest school with room for them.

“It may well be that their first, second and third choices weren’t feasible because those schools were all full.”