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Schools across Wiltshire

Local authority · 265 schools across 31 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 Wiltshire (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 Wiltshire (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.

Year 7 dates to calendar Reception dates to calendarHow to apply in Wiltshire →

Schools in Wiltshire (265)

Showing 20 of 265 schools

Total Schools

265

201 primary · 29 secondary

Total Pupils

74,383

82% capacity used

Ofsted Rated

81

5 outstanding · 76 good

Capacity

90,255

15,872 spare places

Ofsted Ratings

76
180
Outstanding: 5
Good: 76
Requires Improvement: 4
Not inspected: 180

Best Schools in Wiltshire

View the full league table - ranked by Ofsted, Progress 8, KS2 results and more

Area Performance (2026)

Attainment 8

34.9

GCSE Eng+Maths

28.5%

School Capacity

Primary Schools

78% full
36,165 pupils46,074 capacity

9,909 spare places

Secondary Schools

88% full
31,000 pupils35,149 capacity

4,149 spare places

Pupil Absence

Avg Overall Absence

5.5%

2024/25

Avg Persistent Absence

12.2%

2024/25

Schools Reporting

222

2024/25

Absence trend across Wiltshire schools

4.3%
18/19
3.7%
20/21
6.7%
21/22
5.9%
22/23
5.8%
23/24
5.5%
24/25

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

EHCP Timeliness

Issued Within 20 Weeks

60%

Plans Issued

690

Assessment Requests

1,209

Tribunal Cases

33

EHCP timeliness trend (% issued within 20 weeks)

71%
2019
50%
2020
24%
2021
13%
2022
28%
2023
33%
2024
60%
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

5,895 admissions

33

Lodged

(0.6%)

20

Heard

5

Successful

(25%)

Primary (infant classes)

4,951 admissions

26

Lodged

(0.5%)

14

Heard

2

Successful

(14%)

Secondary

6,240 admissions

78

Lodged

(1.3%)

69

Heard

17

Successful

(25%)

Total

12,135 admissions

111

Lodged

(0.9%)

89

Heard

22

Successful

(25%)

Total appeals lodged per year

510
2019
428
2020
403
2021
337
2022
388
2023
372
2024
310
2025
248
2026

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

Towns in Wiltshire

Salisbury

65 schools

Chippenham

29 schools

Trowbridge

23 schools

Devizes

20 schools

Swindon

14 schools

Warminster

14 schools

Marlborough

13 schools

Westbury

12 schools

Calne

12 schools

Melksham

11 schools

Malmesbury

8 schools

Pewsey

6 schools

Corsham

6 schools

Bradford-on-Avon

5 schools

Tidworth

4 schools

Shaftesbury

3 schools

Wiltshire

3 schools

Amesbury

3 schools

Andover

2 schools

Neston, Corsham

1 schools

Questions parents ask about schools in Wiltshire

How many schools are there in Wiltshire?

Wiltshire has 265 open schools: 201 state primary, 29 state secondary or all-through, 17 independent, 16 special and 2 others.

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Which schools in Wiltshire are rated Outstanding?

13 schools in Wiltshire were rated Outstanding at their most recent graded Ofsted inspection: Zouch Academy, Great Bedwyn Church of England School, Malmesbury School, Ramsbury Primary School, The Holy Trinity Church of England Primary Academy and 8 more. Counting Good as well, 89% of the 207 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.

Zouch AcademyGreat Bedwyn Church of England SchoolMalmesbury SchoolRamsbury Primary SchoolThe Holy Trinity Church of England Primary Academy

Source: Ofsted

Which secondary schools in Wiltshire get the best GCSE results?

Of the 29 schools in Wiltshire with 2026 GCSE results, the highest Attainment 8 scores - the average grade across a pupil's best eight GCSEs - were at South Wilts Grammar School (selective grammar), with an Attainment 8 score of 76.5 and 100% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; Bishop Wordsworth's Church of England Grammar School (selective grammar), with an Attainment 8 score of 73.5 and 98% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; and St John's Marlborough, with an Attainment 8 score of 51.8 and 56% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above. Selective schools admit by ability, so their raw results are not a like-for-like comparison with comprehensives. Progress 8, the DfE's value-added measure, was not published for 2026.

South Wilts Grammar SchoolBishop Wordsworth's Church of England Grammar SchoolSt John's Marlborough

Source: DfE school performance data

Which primary schools in Wiltshire have the best SATs results?

3 of the 174 primary schools in Wiltshire with 2025 Key Stage 2 results had every pupil reach the expected standard in both reading and maths: Stanton St Quintin Primary and Nursery School; St George's Church of England Primary School, Semington; and Whiteparish All Saints Church of England Primary School. Small schools can swing a long way from one year to the next, because each pupil is a large share of the result.

Stanton St Quintin Primary and Nursery SchoolSt George's Church of England Primary School, SemingtonWhiteparish All Saints Church of England Primary School

Source: DfE school performance data

Are there grammar schools in Wiltshire?

Yes. Bishop Wordsworth's Church of England Grammar School and South Wilts Grammar School are state grammar schools in Wiltshire. Grammar schools admit pupils by ability through an entrance test, usually sat at the start of Year 6.

Bishop Wordsworth's Church of England Grammar SchoolSouth Wilts Grammar School

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Do schools in Wiltshire have catchment areas?

Most state schools in Wiltshire have no fixed catchment boundary. When a school is oversubscribed, Wiltshire 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 Wiltshire?

Apply to Wiltshire 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.

Explore More

The Great School Divide
Anatomy of Outstanding
League Tables