Parents who send kids to school at TWO in scramble for best places

It comes as separate research found that some youngsters are effectively starting school at the age of two due to primaries giving preference to toddlers who attend their nursery.

The survey, conducted by popular parenting website Netmums, also reveals that some mothers and fathers begin thinking about which school their child will attend as soon as pregnancy starts, with others worrying about it before they are expecting.

Hundreds of thousands of families across England are today discovering which infant school their child will attend from this September in the first ever primary National Offer Day.

The schools adjudicator has previously warned that children should not miss out on school places because they did not attend the right nursery.

In a new report, the Children’s Commissioner, Dr Maggie Atkinson, expressed concerns about the practice.

“In some cases, it could be argued that using this admissions criterion imposes a de facto age of compulsory schooling for a child of two years of age, on parents who want to send their child to that school at four, the usual age of entry to reception year.”

The study also included anecdotal evidence that some parents feel they are being put off applying for places at some schools by teachers and school leaders who acted dismissively towards them, failed to respond to phone calls and emails or told them that they did not think their son or daughter would “fit in”.

And it warned that some schools are charging as much as £300 per child for uniform, which could put poorer parents off applying.

Dr Atkinson said that while most schools “play by the rules” some may be inadvertently breaking them. “We recommend when schools review admissions policies they make sure that nothing they do, or do not do, would put people off applying for a place,” she said.

“This might include the messages they have on their website, their policy on uniform or school trips, or how they answer questions from parents.”

The Netmums poll reveals the other lengths that some parents are still going to in a bid to win a spot at a coveted school.

More than a fifth had bought a house closer to their favoured school, while a further 17 per cent had rented somewhere nearby. And 22.1 per cent had visited the school and attempted to be friendly to staff.

The survey also found that around one in six of mothers and fathers had started thinking about primary schools when their child was still under one, with a further 9 per cent considering it when they were expecting and 6.9 per cent thinking about the issue before they fell pregnant.

Netmums founder Siobhan Freegard said: “Competition for what parents perceive to be the best schools is now so tough they will do almost anything to gain their child a place.

“Some ways like moving house to be close to the school can cost tens of thousands of pounds, while others such as applying for a nursery place at the school in a bid to boost their chances are bending the rules - but determined mums and dads will do what it takes.

“It’s a real sign of the times that people now begin thinking about which school to send their child to before they are even pregnant.”