HUNDREDS of children could miss out on places at their chosen schools if their parents fail to apply on time, it has been warned.

With just a week to go until the deadline for reception school applications expires, more than 1,000 are still outstanding in the Dorset County Council area alone.

And Bournemouth council sent out 500 reminder letters on Christmas Eve to parents they haven't heard from.

Children born between September 1 2010 and August 31 2011 should start school in September 2015, and parents have until Thursday January 15 to apply for a school place.

Dorset County Council handles school admissions for the county and is reminding parents that they must apply now to be in with a chance of securing a place at one of their preferred schools.

Cllr Toni Coombs, Cabinet member for education at Dorset County Council, said: "With just over a week left to register, we want to make sure that parents don't forget to send us their applications.

“Starting school is a major milestone in a child's life and I cannot stress enough how important it is that families apply on time, as submitting an application late affects the likelihood of being allocated a place at their preferred school."

At Bournemouth a spokesperson added: “There are a number of legitimate reasons why an application may have not been submitted, some families may have moved away and others decided to send their child/ren to independent schools.

“It is not possible to tell at this stage how many applications remain outstanding but the response to the reminder letters has been good.”

Information is available from dorsetforyou.com/schooladmissions or call 01305 221060 for Dorset, enrol.bournemouth.gov.uk or call 01202 456223 for Bournemouth and poole.gov.uk/education-and-training or 01202 261936 for Poole.

A spokesman for the Borough of Poole added: “We have a number of ways of reminding parents to apply. Approximately 700 reminder letters were sent in early December to families we are expecting to apply. We are also working with our early years providers and children centres to ensure parents are aware of the closing date.”