Less than half of Croydon's schools have applied for free Olympics and Paralympics Games tickets, as Boris Johnson revealed yesterday which events they could see.

Only 43 per cent of schools have staked a claim for the 125,000 free Games tickets that are up for grabs until December 16 through the London 2012 Ticketshare scheme.

The Mayor of London and the Olympics organising chief Lord Coe, urged schools to become members of the London 2012 'Get Set' network to ensure pupils are eligible for free tickets.

Mr Johnson said: "Croydon’s school kids have a once in a lifetime opportunity to get hold of the hottest tickets in town and experience the greatest sporting event on the planet.

This spread of tickets will give them access to some truly awesome venues, including the Stadium and Velodrome, and witness the highest level of sporting competition which they'll remember for the rest of their lives.

The Mayor's office said about 23,000 tickets have been allocated for events in venues on the Olympic Park, including the stadium for track and field sports, the Aquatics Centre and the Velodrome.

Another 18,500 are available for other events staged at venues across London including Beach Volleyball at Horseguards Parade and Archery at Lord's Cricket Ground.

A further 18,000 London school children will get the chance to visit Wembley Stadium to watch Olympic football and over 5,500 will be able to watch events hosted outside London such as the rowing at Eton Dorney, and mountain biking at Hadleigh Farm, Essex.

The remaining 60,000 tickets will give young people access to the 2012 Paralympic Games athletics events being held in the main stadium in Stratford.

Only 58 per cent of eligible London schools have joined the 'Get Set' network, the highest numbers being in Enfield (100 per cent) and Greenwich (92 per cent).

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