THE high proportion of St Albans schoolchildren winning places at one of their chosen comprehensives masks serious problems in villages and outlying parts of the district, critics warn.

The county council has proudly trumpeted how the proportion of children getting into one of their three "ranked" secondary schools has increased across Hertfordshire by 2.63 per cent to 95.48 per cent.

In the St Albans district, with the help of extra places in Sir John Lawes, Roundwood Park and St George's to satisfy Harpenden demand, the proportion has increased from 92.79 per cent in 2009 to 94.94 per cent.

But district councillor Judy Shardlow, elected on a promise to campaign for more school places,  said: "I think it is a lot worse than the county council is saying.

 "In the St Albans district there are 88 children who have not been offered a ranked school and a further ten in villages like Kimpton, Markyate and Flamstead. That is pretty awful.

 "In Wheathampstead, 17 pupils out of 53 have not got a ranked school, including over half the year group at Beech Hyde Primary School.

"Sir John Lawes is  the nearest school and Sandringham is the second nearest, but many of the Wheathampstead children have been offered  a place at Francis Bacon, which is several bus journeys away."

She is holding a meeting to urge disappointed Wheathampstead parents not to accept an unwelcome offer and advise them on their options at the Hilldyke Centre in Hilldyke Road at 3pm on Sunday.

Ron Tindall, Hertordshire Lib Dem education spokesman, said: "The situation in St Albans - with one in five parents not getting their first choice - is really bad. Yet again the county council is dragging its feet over the chronic problems suffered by parents in Wheathampstead, Colney Heath and the city."

The problem has been exacerbated as the overall number of applications in St Albans has increased from 1,650 to 1,664, in line with a national trend as the economic climate discourages applications to private schools.