MORE parents are taking action after failing to get their children into the school of their choice.

North-East and North Yorkshire parents lodged more than 3,500 appeals against offers of admission to primary and secondary schools during 2006-7.

About 2,700 went on to be heard by independent appeal panels.

Parents in the region fared better than those elsewhere in the country, winning about half of the appeals heard - compared to a national average of 35 per cent.

The figures were published yesterday by the Department for Children, Schools and Families.

They showed that biggest scramble for school places occurred in Darlington where more than 11 per cent of school admission offers resulted in an appeal being heard - more than three times the national average. Of these, 38 per cent were successful.

A spokeswoman for Darlington Borough Council said: "We have a higher number of appeals because Darlington is a small borough, geographically, with schools within a short distance of each other.

"This means that they are all relatively easily accessible to students.

"From this point of view, people in Darlington have a greater choice of school, compared with other areas where location has a bearing on selection."

Council bosses say the town is also one of the few places in the region which is experiencing inward migration, which makes planning school places more difficult.

Elsewhere in the region, the most appeals were heard in North Yorkshire, but the county council also had the largest number of admissions.

Just over half of all 592 appeals heard in the county were successful.

The authorities in the region with the lowest number of appeals were all on Teesside.

Panels arranged by Stockton and Middlesbrough councils heard only 52 appeals each during 2006-7.

Only nine parents in Stockton won their appeal, while in Middlesbrough there were 26 successful hearings.

Schools Minister Jim Knight said the figures showed the appeals system was working.

He said: "It is absolutely right that parents have the legal right to appeal to an independent panel.

"I want every child to have a fair and equal chance of getting into a school, regardless of background - that's why we have toughened up enforcement of unlawful arrangements and made the appeals process even more transparent.

"The very small proportion of appeals heard, compared to the overall number of admissions processed, shows the system works well."