An 11-year-old was devastated to find out he had missed out on the school he wanted this week - only to find out a day later he had actually got in.

Alexander Jackson, of Crayford Road, Brighton, spent an unhappy 24 hours because of a blunder when school allocation letters were sent out.

The schoolboy was among 2,355 youngsters across Brighton and Hove anxiously waiting for the post on Tuesday to find how they had fared in the first year of the new catchment and lottery system.

When his letter arrived his mother, Claire Jackson, opened it up to discover he had been allocated a place at Falmer High, which was their catchment school but not one of their three specified preferences.

The family had been hoping he would get into Cardinal Newman Catholic School, in The Upper Drive, Hove, where several of his friends at St Martin's CE Primary, in Hartington Road, Brighton, will be going.

Mrs Jackson said: "I was absolutely devastated. We are a religious church-going family and we thought that was the best school for him."

Their disappointment was short-lived. The following day a second allocation letter arrived, almost identical to the first but with Cardinal Newman as the named school instead.

Mrs Jackson said: "I think it must have been divine intervention."

The family called Brighton and Hove City Council to find out what had happened and were told there had been an error with the letters but Alexander would be going to Cardinal Newman.

Mrs Jackson said: "We're really pleased with the place but I'm upset with the council for putting us through a horrible 24 hours with no need."

A council spokesman said Alexander had initially been allocated a place at Falmer but someone had dropped out of Cardinal Newman and another letter was sent from there.

He said: "It was too late to stop the Falmer letter. We thought it best to give them the Cardinal Newman news as soon as possible.

"The only alternative would be to deliberately delay renewed offers, which people probably wouldn't appreciate either. We're sorry for the confusion but we were trying to do the right thing."

The council said the number of appeals against school allocations it had reached by yesterday had reached 20.

Opponents and supporters of the new system, introduced amid controversy last year, have been waiting to see its full effects.

The council has so far refused to release data showing where pupils attending each school will be travelling from.

Critics have suggested the new system has not reduced cross-city journeys as intended.

Several families in Portslade have already complained their children have been sent to school in Patcham, six miles away.