Fewer appeals were lodged overall

Some 35.2% of appeals were upheld in England in 2003-04, compared with 33.5% the year before. However, almost 4,000 fewer protests were heard by panels.

The statistics have been criticised as "misleading" by parents' representatives.

They do not include people who lodged appeals but did not pursue them.

This overall figure was included in previous years. Last year's figures showed 91,400 appeals were lodged during the school year 2002-03.

The new figures - for 2003-4 give the total number of people whose appeals were "heard by a panel" as 59,420.

This compares with 64,000 in the previous year.

Total secondary school admissions were down from 694,860 to 688,020.

The proportion of primary school appeals decided in parents' favour fell by 0.1 percentage points to 32.9%.

'Positive'

Of the total number of admissions' appeals heard by a panel (59,420), 46,240 were for secondary school places and 13,180 for primary.

The combined figure is down from 63,960 in 2002-03 and 66,150 the previous year.

A Department for Education and Skills spokeswoman said the overall trend was "positive" and "in line with demographic trends".

Because there has been a fall in the number of children applying for schools generally, it might be expected that more would get the school of their choice.

The number of children of school age is declining because of a falling birth rate during the 1990s.

'True figures'

Margaret Morrissey, spokeswoman for the National Confederation of Parent Teacher Associations, said it was "misleading" to leave out the total number of appeals that parents had launched.

"By changing the way that the government is reporting these figures parents are not getting the true picture of how many appeals are being made," she said.

"Perhaps they did not intend to mislead. But intentionally or not, we are not getting the true figures of those parents who made an appeal."

The government said it decided not to publish the overall figures for the number of appeals lodged because that figure "could be misleading". Some appeals are resolved before they reach a panel hearing because another acceptable school is found for the child.

And the same parent could lodge an appeal for more than one school to which they have applied.