Families across Swindon, Wiltshire, will find out which secondary school their children have been placed in on Monday 2 March 2026. This date, known as National Offer Day, marks the end of an application process that first began in September 2025 for pupils starting their new schools in September 2026.
Parents and carers must accept or decline their school place offer by the deadline of 17 March 2026 to ensure their child has a secured spot for the upcoming year. Those who applied online through the Wiltshire Council or Swindon Borough Council portals will receive their results via email or through the official websites on the morning of the release. Families who used paper application forms might experience a short delay as they wait for their results to arrive through the post.
Recent figures show a high success rate for local placements, with Wiltshire reporting that 95 per cent of families were offered their first-choice school in 2025. In the town area, Swindon saw approximately 91 per cent of pupils receive their top preference during the same period. Councillor Adorabelle Amaral-Shaikh, the cabinet member for education in Swindon, often highlights how the vast majority of children – usually over 98 per cent – receive one of their top three school choices.
If a child is not offered a place at their preferred school, parents have the right to start an appeal against the decision. This process must typically be started within 20 school days of receiving the offer notification from the council. Local authorities urge all parents to accept the place they have been offered in the meantime, which ensures the child has a guaranteed school to attend while any appeals or waiting list movements are processed.
It is vital to respond to the offer by the mid-March deadline, as failing to do so could result in the place being withdrawn and given to another child. After a school place is confirmed, families should also remember to check their eligibility for school bus travel, as this requires a separate application through the council. These coordinated efforts by local officials help manage thousands of placements each year to prepare for the new academic term.
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