WEYDON School’s catchment area has reportedly shrunk to a record low of just 2km amid spiralling demand for places at Farnham’s high-flying secondary school.

In previous years, Ofsted ‘outstanding’ rated Weydon has typically offered places to children as far as 8km from the school gates in Weydon Lane.

However, according to disgruntled parents, this has shrunk to just 2km this year - beating the previous record low of 5.6km.

It has left 139 families disappointed at missing out on a place at the preferred school for their child, with reports of pupils even missing out at nearby Highfield.

Pupils at feeder schools South Farnham, Potters Gate, Rowledge and Waverley Abbey schools have also been denied places, in many cases breaking up long-standing friendship groups.

Parents have also accused Weydon of directing children to its fellow Multi-Academy Trust (MAT) schools Farnham Heath End and Woolmer Hill to boost their numbers.

One parent, who asked not to be named, said the school was effectively “selling the Weydon dream” while sending pupils elsewhere.

The Herald understands upset parents have met with Weydon academy chief John Winter this week to try and address the issues.

Responding in a statement the Weydon MAT thanked parents for the record number of first-choice applications across all three of its secondary schools, adding its delight “that so many parents have endorsed the quality of education we offer”.

The MAT explained that while they were unable to offer places to everyone who selected Weydon as their first choice, fortunately they could offer places at one of their other schools.

The statement added: “We recognise that this has caused some upset to parents who did not gain their first choice when the admissions letters were sent out on Thursday, March 1.

“We are still at the transition stage of the process and await confirmation from parents that they will accept the places that have been offered.”

This means that a number of places could be offered between now and the end of the summer term, due to some families not accepting offers.

Weydon was the preferred first choice of 460 applicants, with 321 of Surrey-based applicants receiving an offer. No offers were made in the county to families who had the school down as their second or third choice.

According to the county council, Farnham Heath End offered 84 places to pupils in Surrey who had the school as their first choice, compared to 106 first preference offers at Woolmer Hill, and 82 at All Hallows School.

A more positive light is being shone on Surrey as a whole though, with around 84 per cent of pupils being offered their first choice secondary school.

There was an eight per cent rise in applications for September 2018, as Surrey County Council (SCC) processed 851 more applications than last year.

Around 93 per cent of applicants received offers from one of their three choices and all Surrey pupils who needed a place got one.

The total number of pupils in Waverley who received offers from their first preference school was 1,020.