YOUNGSTERS and their parents will find out this morning which high school they will be going to from September.

And while many will be excited to take up their year seven places at one of the town’s 13 secondary schools, some people are inevitably disappointed if they do not get a spot at their preferred school.

But there is hope for many frustrated families as figures from 2015 show that of the 91 residents in Warrington who appealed against their child’s high school place, almost 20 per cent were decided in the parent’s favour.

In 2015, 2,663 pupils were given secondary school places and 18 parents successfully appealed against the council’s decision.

Samantha Hale, a specialist education solicitor at Simpson Millar, urged parents not to be too emotional if they decide to argue against school places.

She said: “Parents have the best chances of succeeding in an appeal if they can prove that the criteria the school used to allocate places was either unlawful or wrongly applied, causing their child to lose out on a school place.

“The appeal panel will often take the view that bright and resourceful pupils are likely to perform well anywhere.

“Citing league tables or Ofsted reports as the reason why their child needs a place at a certain school, or who complain about the poor accomplishments at the school their child has been accepted into, is not the best strategy.”

She added that a child’s medical condition or a history of bullying can also be a good reason to appeal against a decision on a school place and if parents will struggle to travel to the new school that may also be a valid argument for reconsidering the pupil’s future.