Choosing a school is a very important decision for parents. We offer parents the opportunity to visit and tour our friendly and supportive school.
Please contact Courtnay Robinson in the school office on 01793 531025 or email [email protected].
Open Days
We provide open days throughout the year to meet and greet staff and see our well-resourced and creative facilities, as well as have a tour of the school grounds.
Dates will be publicised on our website front page, on our school calendar and on our Facebook page.
If you would like a tour outside of these dates, please contact the school office by email and we will be happy to arrange for you to take a look around our school and/or nursery at a more convenient time for you.
Applying for a place in Reception
By law a child does not have to start school until the term following their fifth birthday however most children start school in the September following their fourth birthday. Applications are managed to a national timetable and co-ordinated between local authorities across England. This means that parents must apply to the local authority where they live, even if applying for schools in another area. If you live in Swindon you can find all the information here.
If your child attends Liden Academy Preschool you must still make a application for a place in Reception.
Liden Academy is part of Excalibur Academies Trust; all admission information including Liden Academy’s Admission Policy can be found here.
Reception Places
The window for applying for Reception places is usually open from the previous September to when your child is due to start, and the closing date is usually mid January of the following year eg:
If you wish for your child to start in Reception in September 2026, the SBC on-line applications are open from 1st September 2025, and the deadline to submit applications is 15th January 2026. Please see below:
SBC Letter to Parents & Carers re primary school admissions
Primary School Admissions Drop In Sessions
Late applications may be made directly to Swindon Borough Council after the deadline date but will not be considered until all on-time applications have been considered and allocated.
To apply for a place, apply directly to Swindon Borough Council via this link : Primary school admissions for September 2026 | Primary school places and admissions | Swindon Borough Council.
Published Admission Number (PAN)
This is the Published Admission Number (PAN) for every year group into which pupils can be admitted. The PAN is the maximum number of pupils that the admission authority will admit to each year group. Each school has a PAN for the whole school. The PAN for Liden Academy is 60 for each year group from Reception to Year 6.
Admission in other school years
Parents can make an application for Swindon school places at any time in the year. Known as an ‘In Year Application’ they are processed every 30 school days. Information on making an In Year Application can be found here
Secondary Transition
At the end of Year 6, children transfer to secondary school. Applications for a place at secondary school must be made through Swindon Borough Council in the autumn term of Year 6. Your child will bring home a form or you can apply online.
Transfer arrangements for our Year 6 pupils going to secondary school are sent to parents during the Spring Term prior to their children starting in September.