Most families in Swindon have received positive news regarding their primary school applications for the upcoming academic year. According to Swindon Borough Council, 95.5 per cent of children who applied by the deadline were offered a place at their first-choice primary school for September 2026.
The local authority confirmed that 99.3 per cent of applicants secured a place at one of their three preferred schools. These offers were issued on 16 April 2026, following the application deadline of 15 January 2026.
The performance in Swindon continues to track above the national average. Recent figures show that the national average for first-choice primary school offers across 95 councils was 91.2 per cent for 2026, placing Swindon roughly 4.3 percentage points ahead of that mark.
While the vast majority of local children received their top preference, the data indicates a slight decline in first-choice allocation rates over the past three years. The rate was 98.6 per cent in 2024, followed by 96.6 per cent in 2025, and now stands at 95.5 per cent for 2026. The council’s school admissions team continues to process a high volume of requests, handling 2,494 on-time applications for the 2025 period compared to 2,432 the previous year.
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