Thousands of parents across the greater Bristol area must make a decision over the next few weeks that will affect their families' lives for years to come.

They have until October 23 at 5pm to put in an application to their local council for their child to be given a place to start primary or secondary school in 2010.

For some it is a simple process: they have a good local school attended by almost everyone in the neighbourhood, and it has plenty of places available. There's no need to look anywhere else.

But for others it is much more complicated. The range of secondary school provision may be ever broader but exam results and other evidence remain variable, and popular schools are heavily oversubscribed, so parents have to weigh up their options.

A host of open evenings and special events are being held to give information to children and their parents.

Meanwhile at primary level population increases and other factors have led to extreme pressure on places, meaning there is no guarantee of a school close to home. Last year, about 300 families in Bristol were not given any reception places for their children in the first round of allocations in February. The city council and schools had to take hasty action to increase the number of classes for four-year-olds and families faced several months in limbo.

An independent review of what went wrong has been carried out and the local authority hopes to learn from it so it can avoid so many problems this year.

But already parents in some areas are beginning to express concerns that the supply will not meet the demand.

The council expects about 4,500 children in Bristol to be needing reception places in September 2010 and says about 4,000 will seek secondary places.

Families may apply for up to three schools in order of preference and places will be allocated in accordance with strict criteria.

After children in care and those with special needs, priority is based on distance from home to school and whether the child has a brother or a sister there.

All local authorities and schools must apply with a legally–binding national admissions code, which was strengthened last year, but within that priorities will vary.

For example, in Bristol, distance is determined by a straight line whereas in South Gloucestershire it is measured on a walking route. South Gloucestershire also places less emphasis on siblings being in the same school.

Some church schools will use faith-based criteria while some academies will select a minority of applicants based on aptitude in the school's specialism.

No local authorities in this area have catchment areas for schools, which would imply a guarantee of school places. Bristol has this year scrapped areas of first priority for a few remaining primary schools and will determine applications geographically purely on distance.

Any parents unhappy with what they are offered in March will have the right to appeal.

Bristol City Council operates a co-ordinated admissions scheme with its neighbours, but even if you want a school across the boundary, you should apply to the local authority where you live.

It is crucial to get your form in before the deadline to stand the best chance of getting one of your preferred schools. If you apply to a church school or an academy, there might be an additional form to fill in.

All councils encourage online applications, as these are quick and secure. Information about the admissions process is available on the city council website.

As in previous years, the council has produced separate guides to primary and secondary admissions.

Children in Year 6 – the last year of primary school – should by now have been given copies of the 66-page secondary booklet to take home.

Hard copies of the 100-page A4 primary booklet are available in schools for reference. Parents may take away a 24-page A5 summary and a hard copy application form.

The guides can be downloaded from the council website. A copy of either book can also be requested from the school admissions team on 903 7694.

The primary guide has been redesigned this year and shows how schools are divided into 10 extended school partnership areas.

The council says this has been done to make things clearer for parents.

But while the maps showing where schools are and how they link have been welcomed, some fear that parents will confuse the areas with catchment areas.

At the same time, areas of first priority for some primaries have been scrapped this year, to ensure those living closest to schools get places.

Wherever they live, families must not assume that because their neighbour's child got a place at a particular school last year, their child will get in this time. It depends on the number of children in a year group, where they live and whether they have siblings at the school.

Parents can get some idea by looking at the information in the guide about last year's applications to a particular school.

Those who would like more information can contact Bristol's independent choice adviser Denise Tovey, who can advise them on what to look for in a school and how to apply for a place.

The council says that anyone with questions about admissions to a particular school should contact the admissions team.

Ms Tovey said: "Choice advice is an impartial service – I can't tell you if one school is better than another, but I can help with the process of applying. I see people who are moving to Bristol, thinking about academies, preparing for an appeal, or want an information session at their school. Families should be reassured that 95 per cent of applicants get one of their three choices of secondary school."

Her top tips for school applications are:

● decide what you want from a school;

● find out all you can about the schools you are interested in;

● visit them all;

● decide which best suit your child;

● make your three choices;

● get your application in on time.

The Post will be running a series of articles in the run-up to the applications deadline. If you have specific questions you would like us to put to the admissions team, please email l.tanner@bepp.co.uk or ring 0117 934 3317. We would also like to hear from you if you have a child in reception or Year 1 this year who is still awaiting a place in a state primary school.