Online applications for the borough’s secondary schools were the joint second highest in London this year.

A total of 98 per cent of all applications for the start of the September term were made online, up one fifth on last year.

Out of 2,506 applications sent in on time, 94pc of parents were able to get one of their first three preferences, a Barking and Dagenham Council spokesman confirmed.

Of these, 76pc of parents received their first preference compared with a London-wide average of 71 per cent.

Just three per cent of parents did not put a preference for their children and have been allocated places in the school nearest to where they live.

A council spokesman said there had been 98 applications sent in after the WHEN deadline and that these applicants would be allocated a place but not necessarily at their preferred schools.

Cllr John White, cabinet member for children’s services, said: “We have done very well to beat the London average and meet the vast majority of parents’ first and top three preferences despite the increase in demand for secondary school places.”

He added the council would be investing £75million over three years in the borough’s primary and secondary schools along with other programmes to provide additional places.

The latest Census information, released in 2011, revealed the borough had the youngest population in London.

In the latest round of applications, there has been an increase of 170 children applying for secondary school places in Barking and Dagenham — equivalent to six extra classes.