St Mary Magdalen's Catholic Junior School, London

Good
Primary
Voluntary aided school
Mixed
Roman Catholic
Ages 711

Data last updated 11 Sept 2026

Location

Very likely (~407m)Possible (~581m)Unlikely (~755m)Confidence: high

Estimated admission likelihood based on school density and oversubscription data

Key Information

DfE GIAS
Head:Miss Elsa Fonseca
Pupils:227 / 360 capacity
LA:Brent
Phone:02084593159
Address:Linacre Road, Willesden Green, London, NW2 5BB
Federation:Convent of Jesus and Mary Catholic Infant School & Nursery and St Mary Magdalen's Catholic Junior School
Admissions:Not applicable
Status:open

Ofsted Rating

Ofsted · 3 years ago
-

Overall

Inspected 13 September 2023View full report
URN:101542
UKPRN:10071660
Diocese:Archdiocese of Westminster
Constituency:Brent East
Urban/Rural:Urban: Nearer to a major town or city

Ofsted Insights

What This School Does Well

This school excels at supporting all pupils to progress well, including those learning English as an additional language and those with additional needs. Teachers build strong relationships with children, check their learning carefully and adapt lessons to help them move forward. The school has a calm, welcoming atmosphere where pupils are proud to attend and behaviour is positive.

Key Strengths

  • Pupils make good progress and achieve above average standards, particularly in writing
  • Teaching quality has improved significantly and teachers foster good relationships and check learning closely
  • Strong leadership with effective systems to identify pupils at risk of falling behind and provide timely support
  • Pupils' behaviour is good with positive attitudes to learning and the school promotes spiritual, moral, social and cultural development
  • Reading has improved and pupils show enjoyment in their reading

Areas for Improvement

  • Teachers do not always provide enough challenge for the most able pupils to reach the highest levels
  • Teachers do not consistently give pupils time to respond to marking comments to improve their work
  • Pupils do not have enough opportunities to apply reasoning skills to extend their understanding of reading

Safeguarding

The school's work to keep pupils safe is good, with pupils feeling safe and confident that staff deal with poor behaviour effectively.

Extracurricular Activities

School council, playground pals, prefects in Year 6

St Mary Magdalen Catholic Junior School is a good school that has improved since its previous inspection. Pupils make good progress in reading, writing and mathematics from their starting points, with standards now above average and rising.

At a Glance

27.8%

Free School Meals

No

Boarding

No

Nursery

No

Sixth Form

No

Special Measures

Primary Performance (KS2)

Academic year 2025/26

KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)

2024
2025
Reading+5ppMaths+2ppWriting+1pp

Reading has improved from 75% to 80%. Maths has remained stable at around 77%. Writing has remained stable at around 71%.

Class Sizes

30.1

Avg class size

30.1

KS2

8

Total classes

2 classes with more than 30 pupils

2024/25 academic year

Getting There

Tube / Metro / Tram

Willesden Green Underground Station
494m · 8 min walk
Willesden Green Station
523m · 8 min walk

Bus Stops

Willesden Green Library (Stop K)
66m · 1 min walk
Chambers Lane (Stop M)
247m · 4 min walk
Villiers Road (Stop S)
309m · 5 min walk
Willesden Lane (Stop C)
327m · 5 min walk
Walm Lane (Stop E)
343m · 6 min walk
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Capacity & Demand

School Occupancy

63%

Available places

227 pupils

360 capacity

133 spare places available

Area Demand Pressure - London

Low pressure
New homes approved:104,823
Projected new pupils:26,206

Based on MHCLG housing supply data for London

Admissions Demand - Brent

Low demand0.83x oversubscription

Places available

3,931

Applications

3,247

Got 1st preference

85.9%

Got preferred school

97.4%

Primary admissions across Brent (2025/26)

Inspection History(7)

13 September 2023
5 June 2018
3 July 2014
Leadership & ManagementGood

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SEN Provision

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

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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.

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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.

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School Funding

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

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Pupil Absence
2024/25

5.08644%

Overall absence

13.2%

Persistent absence

250

Enrolments

Authorised4.24953%
Unauthorised0.83691%
Persistent (10%+)13.2%
Severe (50%+)0.4%

Absence trend

3.1036%
18/19
2.8265%
20/21
6.01756%
21/22
5.57247%
22/23
5.378%
23/24
5.08644%
24/25
Overall absence rate

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

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