APPEAL rates for high school places in one East Lancashire borough are the highest in the north west — and second highest in the country.

Figures released by the Department of Education revealed that 28.6 per cent of parents (499) were granted appeals when their children didn't get in their first choice school in Blackburn with Darwen.

A total of 136 appeals were successful. The total intake in secondary schools last year was 1,742 in the borough.

The area was only second to Leicester where 92.1 per cent, or 528, parents appealed against the secondary school place allocated to their child from a total intake of 573 (CORRECT).

In Lancashire appeal rates are much lower with just 5.9 per cent, or 875, parents disputing the high school place given to their child out of 14,899 applications. Some 436 appeals were granted.

Bosses at Blackburn with Darwen said the main appeals were for the popular Tauheedul Islam Girls High School, St Bede’s RC High School and Pleckgate High School Maths and Computing College.

They said the numbers of appeals were high due to the school admission system in which a parent can appeal if a second or third choice has been given in place of the first choice But education chiefs hope the Building Schools for the Future programme - which will see schools in the borough redeveloped or rebuilt - will increase the popularity of all its school and reduce appeal rates to get into those three schools.

St. Wilfrid's C&E in Blackburn is also popular, but selects on strict criteria such as that parents are active member of a church.

Harry Devonport, director of universal, targeted and learning services at Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council, said: "There are a large number of popular schools in Blackburn and Darwen and because of this there is competition for places.

“Parents always have a preference for their child but there is a finite number of places in each school, and this naturally leads to a certain number of appeals.

"When the independent appeal panel allows appeals and as their decision is binding on all parties it means schools have to admit the children.

“The Building Schools for the Future programme is designed to raise the popularity of all schools therefore reducing appeals."

Despite the clamour for places, education bosses said rigorous admissions processes were preventing East Lancashire parents from abusing the system.

However some officials have said there was evidence of parents making lifestyle changes to cheat or manipulate admissions procedures to ensure their children get into the best schools.

Despite the fears, the county council has only dealt with five fraudulent and misleading cases for school admissions this year and Blackburn with Darwen Council has had only one a year on average.

The authorities investigate when other parents notify them of their suspicions that an application maybe false or when information does not tally up.

Simon Jones, National Executive Member for the National Union of Teachers, NUT, said: “We hear lots of reports of parents cynically attending churches just to improve their chances of getting their children into what they perceive to be the better schools.

“These problems will continue so long as we have a divisive system of schools competing with each other for pupils, fuelled by unfair and unreliable league tables."

On the number of appeals, County Coun Susie Charles, cabinet member for children and schools, said: "There is a direct link between the low level of appeals in Lancashire and the high proportion of acceptable offers made to parents.

"We are very proud that for this September just over 98 per cent of parents received an offer for one of their three preferred secondary schools and around 94 per cent were offered their preferred primary school.

"We invest in providing parents with accurate and up-to-date school admission information to help make what is a very important decision, and I am very pleased to see such excellent admissions figures."