More than 400 children have missed out on places at Bristol's most popular comprehensive school.

There were three children chasing every place at Redland Green School – and even 41 children living in the school's catchment area have failed to gain places there for September.

This is in spite of Bristol City Council reducing the size of the area this year to try to give parents a more realistic idea of their chances of getting in.

A further 17 families living in the school's area of second priority – which was part of the original catchment area – have also been unsuccessful.

The shortfall is revealed as more than 3,500 parents in Bristol receive their secondary place allocation letters this week.

The figures show that Redland Green, which is recruiting its fourth intake since opening in 2006, received 606 applications for its 189 places or 3.2 applicants per one place.

Demand was also high at neighbouring Cotham School, with 592 applications for 180 places, and at the Anglican-run St Mary Redcliffe and Temple School, with 494 children chasing 216 places.

The most oversubscribed schools were the two former fee-charging schools that became academies this year, Colston's Girls' School and Bristol Cathedral Choir School.

BCCS had five children chasing every one of its 104 places and CGS four girls for each of its 112 places.

But there were encouraging signs too for three of the four schools that have been rebuilt under the Government's Building Schools for the Future Initiative.

Demand for places increased markedly at Bristol Brunel Academy in Speedwell, Brislington Enterprise College and the Bridge Learning Campus in Hartcliffe.

Armando di Finizio, principal of Bristol Brunel said he was delighted.

He said: "This can only be good for the community. The more people that believe in the school, the more the morale of the community is going to rise."

John Matthews, principal of Brislington Enterprise College, said the increase in demand showed that parents appreciated the new "schools within a school" approach.

He said: "Parents are making positive choices for Bristol schools now. It is very encouraging."

Another new model that is showing early promise is Hartcliffe's Bridge Learning Campus, a £37-million project bringing together learners aged three to adult.

The other academies that launched this year – Oasis Brightstowe in Shirehampton, Oasis Bristol in Hengrove and Merchants' Academy in Withywood – are also pleased with their rise in first-preference applications.

But in north-west Bristol, the figures are set to cause a fresh outcry from families who say the £36-million new secondary school was built in the wrong place.

Campaigners believe it should have been built on the Stoke Lodge playing fields rather than in Redland, where it took in many pupils who were already served by Cotham School.

Since Redland Green opened, many families have moved into homes close to the new school, believing it is worth paying the higher prices they command rather than paying more than £9,000 a year for a child at an independent school.

This led the city council to cut the size of the catchment area in half last year, although it has always made plain that even a home in the area of first priority was not a guarantee of a place.

Bristol City Council has received 301 more applications from city families than a year ago, which indicates that fewer families are looking outside the city's boundaries for education. It says 94.5 per cent of children have been allocated one of their three preferred schools and everyone has been offered a place somewhere.

In South Gloucestershire, the most oversubscribed school was John Cabot Academy in Kingswood, with 421 first-choice applications for just 160 places, leaving 261 children without a place.

Bradley Stoke Secondary School had 233 applications for 180 places.

Two other South Gloucestershire schools were oversubscribed – The Castle School in Thornbury, which had 279 first-choice applications for 270 places, and The Ridings High School in Winterbourne, where there were 338 first-choice applications for 302 places.

The South Gloucestershire schools with the lowest proportion of first-choice applications to places were Kingsfield in Kingswood, where there were 98 for 210 places, Filton High School, with 108 for 210 places and Patchway Community College, with 113 for 224 places.

South Gloucestershire Council has received 3,081 applications from its residents for its secondary schools and says 97.85 per cent have been given a preferred school.

North Somerset had 2,214 secondary school applications and was able to give 95.9 per cent offered one of their three preferences.