Parents and pupils waiting to find out which secondary schools they will be moving up to this September have been told: Stand by your email inbox this evening.

Herts County Council says that allocation emails will be going out to all parents who have provided their online contact details after 6pm.

And the education authority also says that nearly 95 per cent of children have been given a place at one of their preferred secondary or upper schools.

Most parents and carers in the country will be able to check up on where they stand this evening.

The overwhelming majority applied for school places online, and the County Hall database will be made available once the allocation emails have been sent out.

Despite the number of applications increasing by more than 400 on last year, more children have been allocated a place at one of their ranked schools, says the authority.

A total of 12,488 Hertfordshire children have a place at a preferred school, a success rate of 95 per cent, with 10,232 children – nearly 78 per cent – getting into their first choice school.

Councillor Chris Hayward, County Hall’s cabinet member for education and skills, said: “Moving on to secondary or upper school is an important step and we work extremely hard to make the applications and allocation process smooth and straightforward.

“We want to ensure that as many children as possible get a place at one of their ranked schools.

“We all want the best possible education for children in Hertfordshire and we know that the county has excellent schools that perform well above the national average.

“While I appreciate that a small number of parents may be disappointed with the school they have been allocated, I would encourage them to visit the school and speak to the headteacher before dismissing the offered place. They may be pleasantly surprised by what they see.”

The county council will only send allocation letters to parents and carers who applied on paper or those who applied online but did not confirm their email address.

Parents and carers who applied online will be able to accept the school place offered online, as well as pursuing a continuing interest place and lodging an appeal.

Detailed information about an individual child’s application will be available in the allocation email or letter.

All applicants who have not been offered their first preference school will automatically be placed on the continuing interest list for any schools named higher on the application form than the school offered.

All new applications for continuing interest must be made to the child’s home local authority.

Further detailed information about the post allocation processes can be found online at www.hertsdirect.org/admissions

The ‘Secondary - What Can You Do Now?’ leaflet, is also available online and has been included with the allocation letters for children who did not apply online and have not been offered their first preference school.

Parents can also access other useful information, such as school allocation summary reports, through the website.

School places must be accepted by March 16. This is also the last date to ‘opt out’ of continuing interest for community and voluntary controlled schools.

The deadline to submit an appeal is 4pm on April 2.