Ferndale Primary School & Nursery: admissions history
How many families applied, how many places there were, and how far the last place went - every year we hold.
For September 2026 entry, 40 families put Ferndale Primary School & Nursery as their first choice and 83 named it as one of their preferences, for 41 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places, so in 2026 a family who put it first could expect an offer unless the school's other criteria ruled them out.
First-choice demand has fallen from 63 in 2021 to 40 in 2026, while places went from 60 to 41.
Across Swindon, 96% of families were offered their first-choice primary school for 2026 entry, and 99% were offered one of the schools they named.
In 2025, families in Swindon lodged 28 appeals against primary school offers; 23 reached a hearing and 7 succeeded (30.4% of those heard).
Applications and offers by year
| Entry year | Places offered | First choices | Named at all | First choices per place | First choices not offered |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 41 | 40 | 83 | 1.0 | 0 |
| 2025 | 40 | 39 | 111 | 1.0 | 0 |
| 2024 | 44 | 43 | 119 | 1.0 | 0 |
| 2023 | 52 | 51 | 85 | 1.0 | 0 |
| 2022 | 44 | 44 | 82 | 1.0 | 0 |
| 2021 | 60 | 63 | 96 | 1.1 | 4 |
| 2020 | 60 | 62 | 109 | 1.0 | 3 |
| 2019 | 51 | 48 | 101 | 0.9 | 0 |
| 2018 | 59 | 79 | 163 | 1.3 | 23 |
| 2017 | 58 | 52 | 123 | 0.9 | 0 |
Source: DfE, Primary and secondary school applications and offers (school-level file). "Places offered" is the number of offers made on national offer day, which can differ from the school's published admission number.