Dozens of Bristol families are celebrating after finally gaining reception class places for their children.

The city council has written to families who were successful in securing one of the additional places agreed by schools for September.

One of the confirmed schools is Sefton Park in Ashley Down Road, which has made an extra 30 places available, increasing its intake in September to 90.

But many parents are still waiting to hear where their four-year-olds will be offered a place.

A separate letter is due to be sent to all parents who are still waiting for an offer, explaining the current situation and re-assuring them that an offer will be made by April 27.

In the crisis over primary places, many children failed to get into any of three schools within a short distance of their homes and face possible long walks or bus journeys to schools with spare reception places.

The latest move comes after talks between Bristol City Council officers and a number of primaries about temporary expansion.

John Campbell, 46, of Nevil Road in Bishopston, had a letter on Wednesday to tell him that his four-year-old daughter Alice would be able to go to Sefton Park.

He said: "We are very relieved. It has been a long, tense wait. We have friends who have not heard anything yet - they have another couple of weeks to wait. We really feel for them."

Dominic Turner, 34, an IT director from Ashley Down, had a letter to say his son Dominic would also be able to go to the school.

He said: "It has been absolutely horrific. It is the most stressful thing we have been through since he was born.

"Raising children has its ups and downs but this has had such a severe impact on our lives.

"We have two younger children, and my great fear was that my wife would be spending her days with the little ones sat on a bus, ferrying Dominic to and from a school far away."

"We were seriously considering moving to Liverpool where we have family - it would have been that bad.

"Now I can tell my son where he will be going to school next year.

"Up until now we have not been able to tell him anything, which has been heart-breaking because we really wanted to start preparing him for it."

Liz Haydon-Turner, 35, a solicitor from Bishopston, also found out that her son Sam had been offered a place at Sefton Park. She said: "We are very pleased, and Sam is very excited, too."

City councillor Clare Campion-Smith, executive member for Children and Young People, said more places would be available at schools in the east of the city.

She said: "Some families will have two offers at the moment and will have to decide which one they want. More places will be released and we will be able offer a place to everyone who has applied."

A spokeswoman for Bristol City Council said: "A total of 105 new offers were made this week, to people who applied on time for a place at a primary school where we now have additional places.

"This brings the total number of offers for reception school places for September to 4,252.

"There are currently 295 children who don't have an offer (153 of these people made their application on time and the remainder are late applications).

"All those who have not yet received an offer letter will receive one by 27 April and were sent a letter letting them know this. There are currently 435 places available in Bristol."