NEARLY every high school in Worcester was oversubscribed for September's intake this year.

Nunnery Wood High School, Christopher Whitehead Language College, Blessed Edward Oldcorne Catholic College, and Tudor Grange Academy Worcester all received more applications from students than they had places available.

Only Bishop Perowne CE Performing Arts College was not oversubscribed.

However, Worcestershire County Council said nearly 93 per cent of those who applied for places received an offer for their first preference.

5121 of 5509 students were given a place at the school they requested.

Four per cent (242 students) were offered their second choice school while 0.5 per cent (27 pupils) received an offer to their third choice of school.

119 students in the county (2 per cent) were offered an alternative choice which the council said would be the nearest geographical school with places.

Also oversubscribed for September 2014 was The Chantry School, Martley, Hanley Castle High in Upton and Prince Henry's High School in Evesham.

Throughout the county, there were 12 out of 30 high schools that were oversubscribed.

No students were left without the offer of a school place.

Alun Williams, head of Nunnery Wood High School, said the school had received a list of just under 500 names for its 270 places although staff were not informed whether these were first, second or third choices.

The school is then asked to rank the applicants depending upon its admissions policy.

Mr Williams said his school gave priority to children with statements of special educational needs and then looked at how close the children lived to the school and the primary schools they attended.

He said: "We now have 270 names and a waiting list of around a dozen.

"The last couple of years we have had a demographic dip.

"There are more spaces than children so it's more likely people will get the schools they want."