St Mary Magdalene Catholic Primary School, Milton Keynes

Outstanding
Primary
Voluntary aided school
Mixed
Roman Catholic
Ages 311

Data last updated 11 Sept 2026

Location

Very likely (~554m)Possible (~792m)Unlikely (~1.0km)Confidence: high

Estimated admission likelihood based on school density and oversubscription data

Key Information

DfE GIAS
Head:Mrs Rosemarie Jones
Pupils:357 / 340 capacity
LA:Milton Keynes
Phone:01908321746
Address:Ardwell Lane, Greenleys, Milton Keynes, MK12 6AY
Admissions:Not applicable
Status:open

Ofsted Rating

Ofsted · 1 year ago
-

Overall

Requires Improvement

Quality of Education

Good

Behaviour & Attitudes

Good

Personal Development

Requires Improvement

Leadership & Management

Requires Improvement

Early Years

Inspected 14 May 2025View full report
URN:110483
UKPRN:10070217
Diocese:Diocese of Northampton
Constituency:Milton Keynes North
Urban/Rural:Urban: Nearer to a major town or city

Ofsted Insights

What This School Does Well

This is a happy, caring school where children feel valued and enjoy a broad range of enriching experiences. Pupils develop strong reading skills through well-structured phonics teaching and are encouraged to read widely and often. The school creates many opportunities for pupils to build confidence, take on leadership roles, and develop as responsible citizens through fundraising, performances, and carefully chosen clubs and visits.

Key Strengths

  • Pupils behave well, are polite and respectful, and show enthusiasm for learning
  • Phonics teaching is well-structured with strong daily routines that support reading development
  • The school provides enriching trips, visits, and a well-considered range of clubs to help pupils explore new interests
  • Pupils develop confidence through regular singing and musical performances
  • Strong pastoral care creates a warm, welcoming environment where all pupils feel known and valued

Areas for Improvement

  • Support for pupils with SEND is not effective enough - their specific needs are not accurately identified and classroom learning is not well adapted to help them access the curriculum independently
  • Teaching in some subjects is not informed by a carefully considered curriculum, so pupils struggle to build knowledge and remember previous learning
  • Early years curriculum lacks clear thinking about how children will build knowledge and skills over time
  • Teachers do not consistently check pupils' understanding in lessons, so misconceptions are not always addressed and activities are not always matched to where pupils are in their learning

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Extracurricular Activities

Leadership roles (prefects, liturgy leaders, eco-council), fundraising events, singing and musical performances, variety of clubs, trips and visits, star room support programme

St Mary Magdalene Catholic Primary School is a happy and caring school where pupils feel valued and embrace opportunities for leadership and charitable work. However, the quality of education requires improvement, particularly in how the school supports pupils with SEND and in curriculum consistency across subjects.

At a Glance

22.4%

Free School Meals

No

Boarding

Yes

Nursery

No

Sixth Form

No

Special Measures

What Parents Think

37 responses
Would recommend95%
Child is happy100%
Well taught100%
Good progress95%
Feels safe100%
Well behaved100%
Bullying dealt with24%
Kept informed95%
Handles concerns62%
Wider development89%

Source: Ofsted Parent View - % who strongly agree or agree

Primary Performance (KS2)

Academic year 2025/26

KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)

2024
2025
ReadingMaths-2ppWriting+2pp

Reading has remained stable at around 89%. Maths has remained stable at around 85%. Writing has remained stable at around 80%.

Class Sizes

27.5

Avg class size

23.6

Infant (KS1)

27.8

KS2

13

Total classes

1 class with more than 30 pupils

2024/25 academic year

Getting There

Bus Stops

Field Lane
231m · 4 min walk
Ridgeway H1 (SW-bound)
258m · 4 min walk
Akerman Close (NE-Bound)
309m · 5 min walk
Ardwell Lane (NW-bound)
344m · 6 min walk
Freeman Close
393m · 6 min walk
Can you get into this school?
Enter your postcode to find out

Commute Calculator

Find out if this school is reachable from your home - before you apply

Sign up free to see your commute to this school

What are my chances?

Enter your postcode to estimate your probability of getting a place.

Capacity & Demand

School Occupancy

105%

Over capacity

357 pupils

340 capacity

17 places over capacity

Area Demand Pressure - Milton Keynes

Low pressure
New homes approved:4,619
Projected new pupils:1,155

Based on MHCLG housing supply data for Milton Keynes

Admissions Demand - Milton Keynes

Low demand0.82x oversubscription

Places available

4,135

Applications

3,410

Got 1st preference

93.0%

Got preferred school

99.2%

Primary admissions across Milton Keynes (2025/26)

Inspection History(6)

14 May 2025
Quality of EducationRequires Improvement
Behaviour & AttitudesGood
Personal DevelopmentGood
Leadership & ManagementRequires Improvement
Early YearsRequires Improvement
15 October 2013
OutstandingReport
Leadership & ManagementOutstanding
9 January 2012

House Prices

Moving into the catchment? See what homes near this school actually cost

Sign up free to see house prices near this school

SEN Provision

How many pupils have special educational needs, what types of support the school provides, and how it compares to similar schools.

Sign up free to see special needs support at this school

Pupil Demographics

The school's pupil mix - ethnicity breakdown, free school meals eligibility, and English as an additional language. Useful context when evaluating school fit.

Sign up free to see who goes to this school

Teachers & Staff

Teacher qualification rates, pupil-to-teacher ratio, staff turnover, and salary data. Shows how well-resourced and stable the school's workforce is.

Sign up free to see teacher and staff data

School Funding

Annual funding per pupil, total budget, pupil premium grants, and how the school's resources compare to similar schools nationally.

Sign up free to see how this school is funded

Pupil Absence
2024/25

3.8638%

Overall absence

8.01282%

Persistent absence

312

Enrolments

Authorised3.18984%
Unauthorised0.67396%
Persistent (10%+)8.01282%
Severe (50%+)0.64103%

Absence trend

2.87307%
18/19
1.98274%
20/21
4.50013%
21/22
4.43361%
22/23
4.30106%
23/24
3.8638%
24/25
Overall absence rate

Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.

Reviews

No reviews yet - be the first to leave one.

Leave a Review

You need to be signed in to leave a review.

Secondary Schools Nearby

Secondary schools pupils are likely to move to

Nearby Schools

Do you work at this school?

Claim your profile free to get a verified badge, update your contact details, and see how many parents are viewing your page.