Best Schools in Swindon

How many schools are there in Swindon?

Swindon has 107 open schools: 77 state primary, 16 state secondary or all-through, 2 independent, 10 special and 2 others.

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Which schools in Swindon are rated Outstanding?

4 schools in Swindon were rated Outstanding at their most recent graded Ofsted inspection: Haydon Wick Primary School, Rodbourne Cheney Primary School, The Croft Primary School and Royal Wootton Bassett Academy. Counting Good as well, 89% of the 83 graded schools here are rated Good or better. Ofsted stopped giving single-word overall grades in September 2024, so these are the grades from each school's last full inspection.

Haydon Wick Primary SchoolRodbourne Cheney Primary SchoolThe Croft Primary SchoolRoyal Wootton Bassett Academy

Source: Ofsted

Which secondary schools in Swindon get the best GCSE results?

Of the 18 schools in Swindon with 2026 GCSE results, the highest Attainment 8 scores - the average grade across a pupil's best eight GCSEs - were at The Ridgeway School & Sixth Form College, with an Attainment 8 score of 51 and 61% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; Royal Wootton Bassett Academy, with an Attainment 8 score of 50.3 and 53% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; and Nova Hreod Academy, with an Attainment 8 score of 49.6 and 50% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above. Progress 8, the DfE's value-added measure, was not published for 2026.

The Ridgeway School & Sixth Form CollegeRoyal Wootton Bassett AcademyNova Hreod Academy

Source: DfE school performance data

Which primary schools in Swindon have the best SATs results?

Of the 63 primary schools in Swindon with 2025 Key Stage 2 results, the highest shares of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading and maths were at Ashton Keynes Church of England Primary School (91% in reading, 97% in maths); Abbey Meads Community Primary School (92% in reading, 91% in maths); and Holy Rood Catholic Primary School (88% in reading, 93% in maths). Small schools can swing a long way from one year to the next, because each pupil is a large share of the result.

Ashton Keynes Church of England Primary SchoolAbbey Meads Community Primary SchoolHoly Rood Catholic Primary School

Source: DfE school performance data

Are there grammar schools in Swindon?

No. None of the state secondary schools in Swindon selects pupils by ability, so every state secondary here is comprehensive.

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Do schools in Swindon have catchment areas?

Most state schools in Swindon have no fixed catchment boundary. When a school is oversubscribed, the council allocates places on its published criteria - usually looked-after children first, then siblings, then home-to-school distance - so the practical cut-off moves each year. Each school's page here shows an estimate of its catchment radius.

How do I apply for a school place in Swindon?

Apply to your council - Swindon, Wiltshire or Oxfordshire, depending on your address - through its coordinated admissions process, even for academies and faith schools. In England the closing date is 31 October for secondary places and 15 January for primary places, in the year before your child starts. Independent schools run their own admissions, so apply to those directly.