A west Norfolk academy is appealing to parents to contact it if they believe their child has wrongly been refused a place there next September.

Marshland High School, in West Walton, said it knew of six pupils who had applied to start there next year, but were instead given places at Thomas Clarkson Academy, across the Cambridgeshire border in Wisbech.

This was despite Marshland being their first preference, and having unfilled places.

Marshland head Liz Dormor said all six had now received places, but added: “We were alarmed we don’t know how many more there might be out there.

“Although we have looked at the ones we have been alerted to, and Elizabeth Truss MP has launched a bit of an inquiry and Cambridgeshire County Council has come back with explanations of what happened to those we know about, we don’t know if there may be others out there who assume Marshland is full and just accept going to Thomas Clarkson.

“We are anxious to say we have places, if they are still interested in coming to Marshland.”

Mrs Dormor said some of the cases were due to human error at Cambridgeshire County Council, while others were due to people not submitting their forms in time.

A spokesman for Cambridgeshire County Council said it has mistakenly given two children places at Cambridgeshire schools rather than Marshland, but both had since been offered places there.

South West Norfolk MP Elizabeth Truss, who had raised the issue with Cambridgeshire County Council, said: “If parents are worried that their son and daughter has not secured a place at Marshland High School I would urge them to contact Ann Wildman, the admissions manager at Marshland.”