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Schools across Swindon

Local authority · 92 schools across 4 towns

New inspection results and open days, weekly by email.

Year 7 applications for September 2027 close in 5 days

Deadline Saturday 31 October 2026. Apply to Swindon (the council where you live). Offers on 1 March.

Reception applications for September 2027 close in 81 days

Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Swindon (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.

Schools in Swindon (92)

Showing 20 of 92 schools

Total Schools

92

66 primary · 13 secondary

Total Pupils

36,090

86% capacity used

Ofsted Rated

34

2 outstanding · 32 good

Capacity

42,162

6,072 spare places

Ofsted Ratings

32
57
Outstanding: 2
Good: 32
Requires Improvement: 1
Not inspected: 57

Area Performance (2026)

Attainment 8

40.4

GCSE Eng+Maths

39.0%

School Capacity

Primary Schools

82% full
19,539 pupils23,719 capacity

4,180 spare places

Secondary Schools

89% full
13,507 pupils15,249 capacity

1,742 spare places

Pupil Absence

Avg Overall Absence

6.2%

2024/25

Avg Persistent Absence

15.3%

2024/25

Schools Reporting

84

2024/25

Absence trend across Swindon schools

5.2%
18/19
5.9%
20/21
7.7%
21/22
7%
22/23
6.6%
23/24
6.2%
24/25

Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Average across all open schools in this LA.

EHCP Timeliness

Issued Within 20 Weeks

12%

Plans Issued

398

Assessment Requests

761

Tribunal Cases

13

EHCP timeliness trend (% issued within 20 weeks)

30%
2019
50%
2020
82%
2021
72%
2022
71%
2023
49%
2024
12%
2025

Source: DfE EHCP timeliness statistics. Shows how quickly this LA issues Education, Health and Care Plans.

Admission Appeals

2026 admission appeals by school phase

Primary

3,350 admissions

25

Lodged

(0.7%)

19

Heard

2

Successful

(11%)

Primary (infant classes)

2,762 admissions

22

Lodged

(0.8%)

16

Heard

1

Successful

(6%)

Secondary

3,143 admissions

84

Lodged

(2.7%)

52

Heard

5

Successful

(10%)

Total

6,493 admissions

109

Lodged

(1.7%)

71

Heard

7

Successful

(10%)

Total appeals lodged per year

297
2019
317
2020
243
2021
259
2022
395
2023
292
2024
203
2025
240
2026

Source: DfE admission appeals statistics. Shows how competitive school places are in this area.

Questions parents ask about schools in Swindon

How many schools are there in Swindon?

Swindon has 92 open schools: 66 state primary, 14 state secondary or all-through, 1 independent, 9 special and 2 others.

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Which schools in Swindon are rated Outstanding?

3 schools in Swindon were rated Outstanding at their most recent graded Ofsted inspection: Haydon Wick Primary School, Rodbourne Cheney Primary School and The Croft Primary School. Counting Good as well, 89% of the 70 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 School

Source: Ofsted

Which secondary schools in Swindon get the best GCSE results?

Of the 16 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; Nova Hreod Academy, with an Attainment 8 score of 49.6 and 50% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; and Swindon Academy, with an Attainment 8 score of 48.3 and 54% 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 CollegeNova Hreod AcademySwindon Academy

Source: DfE school performance data

Which primary schools in Swindon have the best SATs results?

Of the 53 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 Abbey Meads Community Primary School (92% in reading, 91% in maths); Holy Rood Catholic Primary School (88% in reading, 93% in maths); and Rodbourne Cheney Primary School (90% in reading, 90% 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.

Abbey Meads Community Primary SchoolHoly Rood Catholic Primary SchoolRodbourne Cheney 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, Swindon 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 Swindon 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.