Tens of thousands of children across the country will miss out on their first choice of secondary school place as pupils find out today which school they will be joining in September.

Around half a million families are finding out which school they have been allocated on National Offer Day.

Early figures show in some parts of the country, virtually all youngsters have been offered their first choice, while in others, many are facing disappointment.

Last year, around one in six, did not get their top preference, amid a 2.8 per cent rise in applications, with 548,006 submitted in total.