Primary school places and admissions
Before making your application
Before you make an application for a primary, infant or junior school place for September 2027, you should be aware of the following information:
- You must make your application to your home local authority. If you are not completely sure you live in Swindon Borough, you can check which council area you live in.
- Everyone must apply. You still need to make an application for a place at a primary or infant school even if:
- your child already attends a nursery, which is attached to the school, or
- you already have another child at the school
- You need to apply for a transfer to a junior school if your child currently attends an infant school and is in Year 2. Your child doesn't automatically qualify for a place if they attend the related infant school.
- You can apply for up to three named schools preferences. The school named must be provided in order of preference. The schools can be within, or outside, the borough of Swindon. We encourage applicants to use all three preferences, as this maximises their chances of being allocated one of their preferred schools.
- If the school you want to apply for is not within Swindon and is not available to select as a preference, please email SchoolAdmissions@swindon.gov.uk and we will add this to the system
A note about Swindon Academy
If you are applying for a place at Swindon Academy from reception, there are two teaching sites: Beech Avenue and Alton Close. Please state your preferred site in your application.
Please note: The school cannot guarantee you will be allocated your preferred site, as this will be subject to availability. Contact Swindon Academy if you wish to discuss this further.
Admission out of the normal age group
A parent of a child born between 1 April and 31 August, defined as "summer born", may request for the child to be admitted out of the normal age group, they will be taught a year later than their normal age group. The admission authority takes individual circumstances into consideration.
You can find out more in the document below:
You must apply using the online form before completing the additional request form which you can download below:
If you decide to delay your child starting school until the September following their 5th birthday, but do not request admission out of the normal age group at this time, your child will start school in Year 1. You will need to make an in-year application for a school place for your child.
The school admissions team can advise you on when it would be best to make such an application.
Moving up to Secondary School
If a child is being taught outside of their normal age group, for example, the child is being educated in Year 5 when their normal age group is Year 6, the parent or carer will need to ask the admission authority of the preferred schools to agree for the child to continue being educated outside of their normal age group. This needs to be processed when the child is in Year 5 to allow the parent to apply the following year when the child is in Year 6.
The parent or carer should do this well before the normal admissions round closes for the child’s normal age group. This will be on 31 October of the year the child starts Year 5, rather than Year 6. The parent or carer will also need to submit an application for the child’s normal age group before the deadline, to secure a place in Year 7 should the request to delay be turned down by the secondary schools.
In deciding what is best for the child, the admission authority will take into account that the child is currently being educated outside their normal age group.
Please note: If the application for admission outside of normal age group is refused, the parent or carer must decide between the two following options:
- Accept the offer of a place in Year 7 in the school year following their child’s 11th birthday (meaning they would progress from Year 5 to Year 7)
- Refuse that offer and make an in-year application for their child, to be admitted to Year 8 in the September following their 12th birthday (meaning they will progress from Year 6 to Year 8)
This means the child will have no option but to miss either Year 6 or Year 7.
If the application for admission outside of normal age group is agreed, the application submitted for the following September will be withdrawn, and the parent or carer will receive a paper application form on the 1 September the following year to be completed (as the online system will not allow them to apply out of cohort). The parent or carer can only apply for the schools that were previously consulted and who have agreed with the application to delay.
How applications are considered
The offer of a preferred school place depends on the number of applications received and the number of places available.
Priority for places will be determined by the individual school’s oversubscription criteria. You can read full admissions policies and supplementary information forms for each school on the school admission arrangements webpage.
Multiple applications for the same child
Where multiple individuals have shared legal responsibility for a child, they should agree on which schools to name as their preference(s), before submitting an application form. In cases of dispute, or where two applications are received for the same child, the Local Authority will contact the applicants to agree on the school(s) applied for.
The Local Authority will not process any application until all individuals have confirmed agreement on the preference(s).
If that is not possible, the Local Authority will ask the individuals to seek a Specific Issues Order through the Courts, to determine who has the authority to make an application.
Queries about applications made by another individual
If an individual with parental responsibility asks about a school application made by someone else, we contact the person who submitted the application before deciding whether to share any information.
We would ask for documentation from the individual requesting the information that confirms they hold current legal parental responsibility for the child. If confirmed, we may share basic information, unless there is a legal reason not to. This could include a court order or a safeguarding concern.
Application forms are treated as personal data and are subject to data protection law.
If we do share information, it will not include any reasons given for the application unless we are legally required to provide them.
Primary school admissions guide
You should read the primary school admissions guide before you make your application. This document contains important information about how your application will be considered:
Here are some key points:
- Applications are not dealt with on a first-come-first-served basis. If your application is received any time before the deadline on 15 January 2027, it will be treated exactly the same way as all other "on-time" applications.
- If you apply after this date, the application will be considered a late application and therefore considered after all on-time applications have been considered and allocated. We encourage you to apply on time to maximise your chances of being allocated a preferred school.
- We can never guarantee that a place will be offered at one of your preferred schools.
- Each preference you request will be considered equally against the oversubscription criteria for the school. Where we are able to offer a place at more than one school, we will offer a place at the one you have prioritised higher.