26/08/09 - Online School Admission Places Now Open

School admission places for children starting primary, junior and secondary school in September 2010 can now be applied for online.

Parents and carers can fill in and submit an application online by visiting the school admission pages at the Swindon Borough Council website www.swindon.gov.uk.

Alternatively, application forms can be obtained from the admissions team from the first week of September by telephoning (01793) 445500, emailing schooladmissions@swindon.gov.uk, or writing to Sanford House, Sanford Street, Swindon, SN1 1QH

Applications can be submitted for children born between the following dates:

1 September 2005 and 31 August 2006– primary school places
1 September 2002 and 31 August 2003– junior school places
1 September 1998 and 31 August 1999– secondary school places

Primary and junior school applications must be received by the school admissions team at Sanford House by Friday 6 November, 2009.

Secondary school applications must be received by the school admissions team at Sanford House by Friday 16 October 16, 2009.

It is recommended that parents and carers read the admissions guide to schools for 2010-11 before they apply, which is available online. A hard copy can be obtained from schools or the council’s admissions team.

The guides are intended to help parents and carers make an informed decision about which school they wish the child to attend and how to apply. They also have information on the admissions process and policies for all schools in Swindon.

Applications made before the deadline are not dealt with on a first come first served basis. However, any application submitted after the closing date will be considered as a late application and this may impact on the allocation of one of the preferred schools.

Cllr Garry Perkins, Cabinet Member for Children Services, said: “We have a good track record of offering one of the three preferred school choices and we will continue to try and achieve this within the guidelines, but this does depend on number of places available in a school, and the number of applications received for each school.”

If a school receives more applications than there are places, then an oversubscription criteria is applied. This is explained in the Primary and Secondary Admissions Guides.

Parents and carers will be sent an offer letter of primary school places on Friday 12 February 2010 and secondary school places on Monday 1 March 2010.

Every child aged between five and 16 is entitled by law to a place at a state school.