St Mary Magdalene Academy, London

In its own words: ""SHOW BY A GOOD LIFE THAT YOUR WORKS ARE DONE BY GENTLENESS BORN OF WISDOM" SMMA is a Church school that serves our whole community."

From the headteacher's welcome: "St Mary Magdalene Academy is part of Hive Education Trust and sponsored by the London Diocesan Board for Schools. It is a Christian community of learning which aims to nurture young people to become high achievers and to discover their vocation in a global society."

Clubs and activities named on the school's website include football, netball, cricket, tennis, gymnastics, multi-sports, drama, choir, guitar and chess.

Coming up: an open evening on Thursday 5 November 2026. Check the school's website before you go, as dates can change.

In 2026, pupils at St Mary Magdalene Academy averaged an Attainment 8 score of 58.4, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 50.3 in Islington and 47 across England.

68% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 52% in Islington and 47% in England.

That is in line with 2025, when the score was 59.3.

Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was 0.3: pupils made above average progress compared with pupils nationally who started secondary school at the same level. Progress 8 was not published for 2026.

Disadvantaged pupils averaged an Attainment 8 of 43.5, against 67.4 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 23.9 points.

Pupils sat GCSEs in 23 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Geography, Religious Studies and Combined Science.

For September 2026 entry, 434 families put St Mary Magdalene Academy as their first choice and 1087 named it as one of their preferences, for 171 places offered. That is 2.5 first choices for every place. 275 families who put it first were not offered a place there.

The nearest other state secondary schools to St Mary Magdalene Academy are Highbury Fields School (0.5 miles, Outstanding, Attainment 8 56.2); City of London Academy Highbury Grove (0.5 miles, Good, Attainment 8 44); City of London Academy Islington (0.9 miles, Outstanding, Attainment 8 46.1); and Lift Beacon High (1 mile).

St Mary Magdalene Academy's 2026 results were higher than all 3 of them.

St Mary Magdalene Academy is run by its own single-school academy trust.

Of the 198 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 90% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 35% to a further education college, 2% to an apprenticeship and 1% into work.

Of the 170 students who left the sixth form in 2023/24, 75% went on to university or other higher education, 2% to apprenticeships and 8% into work. 37% went to one of the most selective third of universities.

35.2% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), according to the 2026 school census.

The nearest Underground station is Highbury & Islington Underground Station, about 430 metres away (roughly a 5-minute walk).

14 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Ellington Street / Arundel Square, 220 metres away.

In 2024/25, St Mary Magdalene Academy issued 68 suspensions, 4.4 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.

The primary schools closest to St Mary Magdalene Academy are Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School (0.3 miles), Laycock Primary School (0.3 miles), Drayton Park Primary School (0.3 miles) and Canonbury Primary School (0.4 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.