An education agency says falling birthrates could mean Swindon schools facing a drop in funding Picture: PA Falling birth rates in Swindon could spell real difficulties for schools across the borough warns an education expert. Richard Tilley the founder of Comms for Schools, an agency which works exclusively in education, says the lack of babies being born could mean that schools find they don’t have enough children to fill places. Swindon Borough Council says it is working with schools to make sure the town has the right capacity. Mr Tilley said: “In Swindon the birth rate has fallen 12.4 per cent between 2010 and 2019. It means that there will be around 360 fewer children looking for reception places for September 2023 than were in 2014, when current Year 6 pupils started. That is the equivalent of 12 empty classrooms.