PARENTS of children born between September 1, 2010, and August 31, 2011, are being urged to contact Worcestershire County Council to apply for a school place starting next year.

The application process normally takes place as soon as a child is three-years-old, ready for when they start school at about the age of four.

Applications can be completed between now and the closing date on January 15, 2015, with all information needing to be submitted in time for the Government deadline to be met.

Parents will need to specify school preferences, with places being granted based on a “strict” criteria.

Registering to start the application process can be done online, but parents with no internet access can contact the Worcestershire Hub who will perform the online process on their behalf, with a hard copy sent out at the end of the process.

The council are stressing the point that children cannot take up a school place from September 2015 unless parents have informed them and gone through the application process successfully.

County councillor Liz Eyre, cabinet member with responsibility for children and families, said: “It really is important to apply for your child's school place as soon as possible.

“School places are limited and allocated using a strict criteria so to avoid disappointment I would suggest starting the process sooner rather than later.”

The online application system is available 24 hours-a-day, seven-days-a-week, until the closing date, where parents will be provided with a reference number which they can refer to in any future correspondence to the county council.

Offers for school places will be sent out through email but parents with no access to the internet will have their offers posted to them.

To apply online visit worcestershire.gov.uk/schooladmissions or call the Worcestershire Hub on 01905 822700.