Thousands of families have failed to land their child a place in their first-choice primary school.
Some areas have experienced an increase in applications this year and a fall in the number of kids getting into their preferred school.
Applications rose in London, where under 85% of the 97,300 applicants got their first choice – down from 86% last year.
Some 5,000 children in the capital did not even get into any of their top three schools.
Birmingham also had a rise in applications to 14,400, with just under 88% getting into their first choice, down from 89% last year.
Of 67 councils that gave comparable data in a Press Association survey, some 55% reported a fall in the proportion of pupils getting their first choice compared with last year.
The Department for Education will temporarily relax rules so appeals no longer need to be held face-to-face.
Paul Whiteman, of school leaders’ union NAHT, said: “For those families not getting their first choice of school, the appeals process will be going ahead, albeit virtually.
“This process must be as robust as ever and be made clear to parents.” The number of four and five-year-olds enrolling in primary schools had started to flatten after a slowing of birth rates, following a 2008 spike.
In Kent, where some 18,000 pupils will start school in September only 88% got a first-choice place.
In Devon, applications rose by 300 to 7,500 but almost 95% got their first choice there. In York, the number of families given their first choice fell from 96% last year to 94%, while in Reading, Berkshire, just 83% of children got their first top choice.
Schools remain closed under lockdown but families received emails on Thursday telling them which school their child will go to in September.
