NEARLY half of all Hammersmith and Fulham pupils have failed to get the secondary school of their choice this September - and the squeeze on places is set to get worse, an expert has warned.

Children in London are missing out more than in any other area of the country, with 32 per cent of 11-year-olds failing to get their main preference.

And competition is even more acute in Hammersmith and Fulham, where just over 54 per cent got their number one selection, with only Wandsworth experiencing greater demand.

In total 25,000 Londoners will fail to start at the school of their choice, leading Helen Jenner, chairwoman of the Pan London Admissions Board, to warn the challenge facing schools is set to get harder due to a predicted teenage population boom in the next three years.

Despite the figures, Bernie Peploe, headteacher of Fulham Cross School, said children shouldn't worry as they will find themselves at a good school wherever they end up.

"All the borough's schools have been rated good or outstanding by OFSTED and Hammersmith and Fulham is one of the highest performing areas of London," she said. "And with the new free schools and academies, the choice is growing."

The council says the figures do not indicate a lack of space and claims there will be a surplus of 19 spaces in September when all children have been placed.

It says this is the case despite a steady rise in the number of borough children choosing to be educated locally. Action has been taken to address high demand where it appears, such as the creation of an extra class of 30 at Lady Margaret School in Parsons Green.

Councillor Helen Binmore said: "More local children than ever before have got places in local secondary schools. In 2006 only 45 per cent of children in the borough chose to attend local secondary schools but that has now risen to 61.5 per cent. That’s 733 children compared to 661 last year."

A spokeswoman said nearly 88 per cent had been placed at one of their first six choices of school. She added the West London Free School had proved the most popular with nearly 1,110 applications for 120 places, with the London Oratory and Hammersmith Academy next.