Thirty children in Harpenden have not been allocated a place at any primary or junior school, and parents have branded the situation an "utter disgrace".

Parents were told on Thursday which schools their children would be attending in the new academic year by Hertfordshire County Council.

County Hall said 95 percent of children were handed a place at one of their four shortlisted schools - but of the 2,117 applications in the St Albans district, 30 youngsters from Harpenden currently have nowhere to go in September.

Morven Allen put down The Grove, Crabtree and High Beeches for her four-year-old son George, but was "stunned" not to get any of the preferred choices.

The 32-year-old scientist who lives in Cranbourne Drive said: "This was the first time going through the application process.

"We were shocked and upset to hear the news on Thursday. George is not really aware of what is going and is fairly convinced he is going to the Grove.

"We are all quite worried."

Ms Allen said she felt let down by the county council. She added: "We are very disappointed, they have had our applications since January and have not managed to put the extra places in place until allocation day causing a lot of people unnecessary anxiety and worry.

"We are waiting for the first round of continued interest, gathering as much information about the process as possible and looking into appeals."

The council said it received 15,267 applications for reception places with 14,408 allocated a place at a ranked primary school.

Of those children, 12,425 (81 per cent) secured a spot at their first choice school - an increase of 255 on last year.

A further 1,190 families have been given a place at their second choice school, 537 at their third choice and 859 children will be going to the school their parents put down as their final pick.

The authority said an extra 325 places have been made available at 12 schools via the continuing interest list, including 30 places at Wood End School in Harpenden, and parents can apply to any of the schools offering additional places.

Ben Bardsley, chair of the Harpenden Parents Group (HPG), said: "We are disappointed that families have yet again been affected by the stress of non-ranked allocations and continuing interest for primary school places in the town.

"We urge parents happy with their place or taking their child out of the system altogether, perhaps to an independent school, to make that selection quickly on the HCC website in order to hasten the process and make continuing interest as meaningful as possible for those still without a local primary school place for their child."

HPG will be running an information evening this Thursday from 8pm at the Quaker Meeting House in Southdown Road.

To find out more, click here. 

For more information about appeals, the schools offering additional places and the allocation process click here.  

Are you unhappy with your allocation? Get in touch by emailing charlotte.ikonen@london.newsquest.co.uk.