A North Finchley couple have been left disappointed after their three-year-old daughter missed out on all five of their primary school preferences.

Parents across the borough found out yesterday if and where their child has been allocated a place for September, but for Richard Murkin and his wife Fiona the news was not good.

The couple registered their application to Barnet Council before the deadline last year, selecting five schools in order of preference for their daughter Eliza.

But they were upset to find they missed out on all of their preferred schools.

Father-of-two Richard, of Woodberry Grove, said: “We were naturally disappointed. We figured that if we didn’t get our first choice, we were at least happy with the others, so we were surprised when we got none of them.

“We may appeal, but I don’t fancy our chances to be honest. We now have a bit of work to do – it is a nuisance, not a crisis and there will be a solution, but I really feel sorry for the families who were not offered a place at all.

“We’re lucky enough to be in a position where private schooling is an option – it is not what we wanted, but it is looking necessary.”

Barnet Council confirmed yesterday it has found places for 98.7 per cent of children who applied before the deadline, leaving 55 on-time applicants without a school.

A further 152 who did not apply on time are also currently without a place, though the authority expects to find extra classes through temporary and permanent expansions.

Yesterday, director for children's services Robert McCulloch Graham said the council had been working “incredibly hard” to find extra places, having created 1,300 more since 2009.

Mr Murkin, 37, added: “I find the whole thing quite depressing that there are not enough good schools. As a parent you want your child to be stimulated and stretched to whatever their ability might be and be surrounded by peers who will suit that.

“The application system wasn’t too bad but it is disappointing that Barnet and other authorities have not better anticipated this. I was a little surprised the director of children’s services was patting himself on the back yesterday – I’m sure there has been a lot of work gone into it, but some children have been left without a school and that is particularly poor.”

Councillor Andrew Harper, cabinet member for education, said the authority is looking to find £60million in the next five years to fund an extra 1,300 places.

He said: “I’m not surprised about the situation with the way we have seen the numbers moving in recent months. We have had to work extremely hard and under the circumstances what we have achieved is remarkable.

“This is a major strategic issue for us in the future, but I’m very upbeat about it and I’m extremely proud of what our officers have achieved.”