by political editor Paul Francis

Striking postal workers shouldn't lead to problems with parents applying for secondary school places or hold up letters to children awaiting 11-plus results - according to Kent County Council.

More than 10,000 emails were sent out on Monday to parents informing them if their child had passed the 11-plus, accounting for nearly 90 per cent of those who registered and took the test.

Letters were also sent out to about 1,500 others who did not apply or ask for their results online and KCC says it is confident they will arrive before Thursday, when a two-day strike by members of the Communication Workers Union is planned.

"We have sent letters out first class and expect them to arrive on time and before the strike starts," a KCC spokesman said.

There are also fears that parents applying for secondary school places could be caught up in the dispute.

The deadline for secondary school applications in Kent is November 6 and local government leaders have voiced concerns that prologed strike action could cause problems for parents.

Officials said they were worried that thousands of applications for preferred school choices could get held up in the backlog of mail caused by the industrial action.

KCC said it was keeping the situation under review and was encouraging parents to apply online. Primary headteachers were being asked to inform parents about the possible difficulties and to ensure applications were made in good time.