PARENTS and carers of Bromsgrove and Droitwich children born between September 1, 2011, and August 31, 2012 can now start applying for primary school places for their children to start school from September 2016.

Worcestershire County Council launched its admissions process for primary and secondary school admissions from Tuesday, September 1, and parents and carers can go online to Worcestershire.gov.uk/schooladmissions to apply 24 hours a day, seven days a week, right up until midnight on the official closing dates for each kind of school.

Parents will also be provided with a reference number on the site which they will then be able to use in any future correspondence with the county council.

Mark Ballett from the School Admissions Service at Worcestershire County Council, said: "It really is important to apply for your child's school place as soon as possible. School places are limited and allocated using strict criteria. To avoid the disappointment of not getting your preferred school place, I would recommend starting the process sooner rather than later. Applying online is quick, easy and safe to do. If you change your mind you can go back and update your selections or your preferred ranking of schools at any time up to the closing date."

People will also be able to print a copy of their application, and they will receive an email acknowledgement to confirm their application has been received.

Anyone who doesn’t have access to a computer, will be able to contact the Worcestershire Hub on 01905 763763 for advice and help.

The application process for high schools ends on October 31, and for primary and middle schools it ends on January 15, 2016.

Offers for any school places will be sent out via email, or for those with no internet access, they will be posted out.

Following the offer process, parents who are unhappy with the outcome will have the chance to go to an independent appeal, or go on a waiting list.