The number of young children getting a place at their first choice primary school is down slightly this year despite a drop in applications.

Primary schools across Richmond borough are among the best in the country and regularly top national league tables.

This year, some 90% of children will start at their first choice school in September, which is down from 92% last year.

This fall comes despite the face the total number of applications to the borough's primary schools for the 2022-23 academic year was some 58 lower than last year at 1,991.

On a positive note 98per cent of youngsters have a place at one of their top three choices, which is on a par with the 99% last year.

The details have been released by Richmond Borough Council, which said: "Currently there are no children without an offer of a primary school place, which is the same as last year."

Richmond has seen a falling birth rate in recent years with the result that some seven of the 45 state primary schools have cut the number of Reception classes for young pupils.

Two of the area's schools – Nelson and Stanley – have temporarily cut the number of children accepted by two forms.

The number of babies born to parents in the borough fell from a high of 2,992 in 2010 to 2,544 in 2016.

Alongside this, the number of children in primary schools peaked at 16,830 in 2018 before falling back to 16,173 in 2021 – a drop of 657.

The fall would have been much greater but for the arrival of pupils from Hong Kong, while figures could also be bolstered by youngsters from Ukraine. Richmond borough residents have led the way in offering to refuge to families from the crisis.

The Director of Children's Services for Richmond Council, Ian Dodds, said:"Richmond's schools are deservedly popular because they offer excellent, inclusive education for local children, and I am very pleased that all applicants have been offered a place."