Classrooms in some of Brighton and Hove's top schools will have empty desks next year - the bizarre result of the annual places lottery.

Parents have been warned off selecting the most popular schools unless they are certain of winning places. Many have instead hedged their bets to select traditionally safer options.

The topsy-turvy trend means, for the first time, two of the city's top state secondary schools are under-subscribed.

Initial figures reveal both Varndean School in Brighton and Cardinal Newman Catholic School in Hove have received fewer applications than they have spaces, despite achieving some of the top exam results in the country.

Andy Schofield, headteacher at Varndean, believes parents were scared away from putting the school at the top of their preference list.

Last year the school had 279 first-choice applications for 240 places. This year there are 218.

Mr Schofield said: "We are not very happy about this at all. It is a serious error of judgement by the local authority.

"They ran a session during our open evening, telling parents not to apply if they were a few streets away.

"They made a big play of it, with a map of the catchment area.

"Parents were very upset at being advised not to choose the school.

"It's the helping hand of the LEA - they are trying to help but have caused chaos.

"I feel cross on behalf of a group of parents who wanted to get their sons and daughters into the school but were advised not to.

"Parents were scared off.

"If you are told not to risk picking Varndean as a first choice you won't. Parents won't risk their child's education.

"We're a victim of our own success."

Mr Schofield fears this year's results will mean a bigger problem next year.

He said: "Because we are under-subscribed, there will be no catchment map next year.

"The LEA will have a real problem.

"I decided as many people as possible should know the situation as we have 20-odd places for next year. But in theory it is too late. Once you've made your choice, that's it."

Peter Evans, headteacher at Cardinal Newman, said: "We have been heavily oversubscribed every year until now but this year we are slightly under-subscribed.

"I think it might be something to do with parents hedging their bets but we also have an admissions criteria which talks about Christianity so that is an extra question alongside where people live."

Mr Evans said the school was only about a dozen under its maximum intake for next year of 341 and it was possible with appeal it would be oversubscribed.

Last year, 356 parents applied.

Other top city schools reported large increases in the numbers applying, despite an expected drop in the overall numbers of children due to go to secondary school.

Neil Hunter, headteacher at Blatchington Mill in Hove, said the school had received about 50 to 60 more applications than it could accommodate.

He added: "It does reflect well on the school but that's also a lot of youngsters who will not get their first choice.

"Parents are not making these decision lightly and then to suddenly find you cannot have the school of your choice is no way to start your secondary education."

For the first time the admissions procedure, which began in October, is being co-ordinated nationally and parents will not be sent letters confirming their children's schools until March 1.

Trevor Allen at Dorothy Stringer in Brighton said his school was considerably oversubscribed this year.

He said: "We again are one of the most popular schools in the city. It makes you feel you are on the right lines and it gives you energy to keep going forward. We are very pleased but of course it also creates enormous frustrations and anxieties for parents.

"I think we are popular because, for the first time, the facilities are now very good. Parents also respond to us because it is a friendly and open school. We are not a repressive regime, we like to try to be innovative and creative."

Geoff Ellis at Longhill School in Rottingdean was equally pleased that his school was again oversubscribed by about 20.

He said: "We are pleased because we don't want to be empty. I think the school has a very positive ethos and that is one of the great strengths."

The final figures have not yet been released and it is not known how many applications other schools in the city have received.

It is believed East Brighton College of Media Arts has received a few, despite being destined to close in 2005.

A Brighton and Hove City Council spokesman said: "It would be wrong for us to release any details of admissions figures prior to March 1 as it would, in effect, mean that anyone applying for under-subscribed schools would know in advance the result of their application."