Magdalen Court School, Exeter
Magdalen Court School is a special school for pupils aged 5 to 18 in Exeter. It was rated Requires improvement at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in October 2024.
- Ofsted
- Requires improvement (2024)
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Magdalen Court School in detail
Magdalen Court School in its own words
In its own words: "We are delighted to welcome you to our school community. At Magdalen Court School we are committed to keeping every child safe, with the child at the centre of everything that we do. Magdalen Court School is a Special School that caters for 150 students aged 5-18."
Vision and values (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other special schools to Magdalen Court School are Southbrook School (1.1 miles, Good); Belong School Devon (1.2 miles, Good); Vranch House School (1.4 miles, Outstanding); and Infocus College (1.4 miles, Good).
Southbrook SchoolBelong School DevonVranch House SchoolInfocus College
What parents say
19 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Magdalen Court School (as of September 2025): 68% would recommend the school, 74% say their child is happy there and 43% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that the school has high expectations for their child (79%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (43%).
Who goes there
Almost every pupil at Magdalen Court School has an education, health and care plan (143 of 143 in 2026).
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Exeter Central Rail Station, about 0.9 miles away in a straight line.
6 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Victoria Park Road (e-bound), 90 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Magdalen Court School stands in is among the 10% least deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
In August 2026, police recorded 712 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, shoplifting and anti-social behaviour. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Devon (16), as is usual near a town centre.
Sources: Ofsted Parent View; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 2 years agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Safeguarding: effective
Independent school standards
Met all the independent school standards.
- Part 1: quality of educationMet
- Part 2: pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural developmentMet
- Part 3: welfare, health and safetyMet
- Part 4: suitability of staff and proprietorsMet
- Part 5: premises and accommodationMet
- Part 6: information for parentsMet
- Part 7: handling of complaintsMet
- Part 8: leadership and managementMet
Source: Ofsted, non-association independent schools inspections and outcomes (Open Government Licence)
Ofsted's report, in its own words
What is it like to attend this school?
The school's vision is that all pupils will be ready for adulthood both academically and socially. This is reflected in all that it does. More pupils are now able to move on to education or employment that is well suited to them.
Many pupils have not attended school for long periods prior to starting at Magdalen Court School. Staff build warm, professional relationships with pupils. Pupils begin to enjoy school, many for the first time.
What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?
All pupils at this school have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). A new curriculum has been developed. It is broad and ambitious for what all pupils can achieve. Students in the sixth form undertake work placements that are well suited to their needs and aspirations.
The curriculum makes clear the essential knowledge that pupils should learn. However, staff are still building their own knowledge of the newly revised curriculum for some of the subjects they teach. This means they do not always explain new learning as clearly as they could. Sometimes, staff do not identify pupils' misconceptions and correct them.
From Ofsted's October 2024 inspection report: the opening paragraphs of each section, quoted word for word. Read the full report Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Requires Improvement at its October 2024 inspection.
Rated Good for
Personal development.
Areas Ofsted flagged
Quality of education (Requires Improvement), Behaviour & attitudes (Requires Improvement), Leadership & management (Requires Improvement).
At a Glance
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
Yes
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
19 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby schools
Latest from Magdalen Court School
Higher Level Teaching Assistant (HLTA)
16 Sep 2026
News Stories
15 Jun 2026
The Week Ahead
17 May 2024
Admissions September 2023
6 Feb 2023
New Website
12 Dec 2022
From Magdalen Court School's website. School Signal is not affiliated with the school.
Social & online
Keep up with Magdalen Court School
Getting There
Bus Stops
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 20
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 2
- Children hurt
- 1
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 20 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 18 slight.
1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on a bicycle.
7 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included.
The typical figure for schools in Devon is 3 (the median across 426 schools, same distance and years).
Serious and slight counts use the Department for Transport's severity adjustment, which allows for changes in how police forces record injuries; they are estimates, rounded to whole numbers. Distances are in a straight line. Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19), Open Government Licence v3.0.
Commute and house prices
Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
57%
Available places
143 pupils
250 places
107 spare places
as recorded on GIAS
Area Demand Pressure - Exeter
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Exeter
Across Devon council
Places available
7,788
Applications
7,251
Got 1st preference
93.3%
Got preferred school
98.4%
All secondary applications across Devon council (2026/27), not just this school.
Inspection History(13)
Independent School standard inspection
Met all the independent school standards.
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
0
SEN Support
143
EHC Plans
100.0%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Magdalen Court School is not approved under Section 41 of the Children and Families Act 2014.
Source: GIAS, Department for Education.
Pupils by Need Type
No need-level breakdown available
Pupil Demographics
Key Indicators
143
Total Pupils
90
Boys
53
Girls
2026 academic year
Feeder Primary Schools
Primary schools that likely feed into this school, based on proximity
Magdalen Court School
Showing 10 of 14 linked schools
Questions parents ask about Magdalen Court School
What are GCSE results like at Magdalen Court School?
The Department for Education's GCSE measures do not count IGCSEs, which many independent schools take instead of GCSEs, so the Attainment 8 and English and maths figures it publishes for Magdalen Court School can understate its results. We do not rank or compare them; ask the school for its own GCSE and IGCSE results.
What is Magdalen Court School's Ofsted rating?
Magdalen Court School was rated Requires Improvement at its most recent Ofsted inspection in October 2024.
Does Magdalen Court School meet the independent school standards?
At its most recent standard inspection, in October 2024, Magdalen Court School met all the independent school standards.
How many pupils go to Magdalen Court School?
Magdalen Court School has around 143 pupils on roll.
Does Magdalen Court School have specialist SEN provision?
Magdalen Court School is not approved under Section 41 of the Children and Families Act 2014.
How do I apply to Magdalen Court School?
Magdalen Court School is an independent school and runs its own admissions rather than going through the local authority. Contact the school directly for entry requirements, assessment dates, fees and any bursaries.
How many road collisions happen near Magdalen Court School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 20 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 18 slight. 1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on a bicycle. 7 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included. The typical figure for schools in Devon is 3 (the median across 426 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Magdalen Court School?
Magdalen Court School is at Victoria Park Road, Exeter, Devon, EX2 4NU.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)