Thousands in Britain used underhand tactics to get children into preferred secondary schools last year, it emerged, as government figures yesterday showed nearly one in six youngsters failed to secure their first choice place.
Chief schools adjudicator Ian Craig estimated 4,200 fraudulent applications were made last year.
Though the figures were unverified, Dr Craig - tasked with examining the admissions process by Schools Secretary Ed Balls - noted 1,400 identified cases of misleading applications.
His findings came as results for applications by more than half a million children in England showed 83.2 per cent were offered a place at their preferred school for September.
The refusal rate was 16.8 per cent - the same percentage as last March.
In his report into deceptive applications, Dr Craig set out a series of measures designed to strengthen the admissions procedure.
These included encouraging local authorities to publicise a "whistle-blowing" telephone number, and he suggested local authorities check 10 per cent of applications, withdrawing places in proven cases of deception.
A fast-track appeals panel should meet to consider suspect applications, he said.
Mr Balls welcomed the recommendations but insisted children should not be punished where their parents were found to have cheated the system.
"While I am reassured that only a tiny minority of parents apply dishonestly, I am also clear that every place gained by deception is denying another child their rightful place," he said.
"Where deception is found after the child has started school, the default position - that places are withdrawn - should be firmly linked to your proposal for fast-track appeals, to be heard within two weeks of the deception being found and with the child remaining in school until the appeal panel is held."
A decision would then be taken on whether the child should hold on to its place.
Statistics out today from the Department for Children, Schools and Families showed 94.9 per cent of families received an offer of a place at one of their top three preferred schools - a rise of 0.3 per cent on the figures published in March 2009.
And 96.6 per cent of families were given a place at one of their six preferred schools - up 0.4 per cent on last year.
Nearly 530,000 11-year-olds from 151 local authorities were told of the allocation in letters sent out on March 1.
It is the third year the figures have been compiled after the introduction of the controversial lottery-style scheme.
Schools Minister Vernon Coaker said: "The figures show that the vast majority of parents are very satisfied with the admissions system and are getting their children to the schools of their choice."
But he accepted that not everyone would be happy.
Shireen Ritchie, of the Local Government Association, said the recession had placed a strain on state schools.
"Many high-performing schools are oversubscribed," she said.
"It's hard to imagine a time when every single child would be able to get a place at their first-choice school."
She stressed that the number of children getting into their chosen schools was "testament to the enormous amount of hard work" by councils and parents.