St Mary Magdalen's Catholic Junior School, London
St Mary Magdalen's Catholic Junior School is a primary school for pupils aged 7 to 11 in London. It has a Roman Catholic religious character. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in July 2014. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in September 2023 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 654th-highest of the 959 schools in London with published results, and 6,591st of 14,452 across England. It was 66% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- In line with England
- Ofsted
- Good (2014)
- Capacity
- 66% full
- Attendance
- In line with England
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
St Mary Magdalen's Catholic Junior School in detail
Results
In 2025, 80% of Year 6 pupils at St Mary Magdalen's Catholic Junior School reached the expected standard in reading and 77% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 80% and 80% in Brent and 77% and 75% across England.
Results rose from 75% in reading and 75% in maths in 2024.
With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.
Getting a place at St Mary Magdalen's Catholic Junior School
Across Brent, 88% of families were offered their first-choice primary school for 2026 entry, and 99% were offered one of the schools they named.
In 2026, families in Brent lodged 21 appeals against primary school offers; 21 reached a hearing and none succeeded.
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to St Mary Magdalen's Catholic Junior School are Convent of Jesus and Mary RC Infant School (under 0.1 miles, Outstanding); Gladstone Park Primary School (0.3 miles, Good, 84% reading, 83% maths); St Andrew and St Francis CofE Primary School (0.3 miles, Good, 76% reading, 82% maths); and Donnington Primary School (0.5 miles, Good, 72% reading, 72% maths).
St Mary Magdalen's Catholic Junior School's 2025 results were higher than 1 of these 3 schools.
Convent of Jesus and Mary RC Infant SchoolGladstone Park Primary SchoolSt Andrew and St Francis CofE Primary SchoolDonnington Primary School
Who goes there
55.1% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are Mixed (19%), Black (15%) and Asian (13%).
Getting there
The nearest Underground station is Willesden Green Underground Station, about 490 metres away (roughly a 6-minute walk).
12 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Willesden Green Library, 70 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood St Mary Magdalen's Catholic Junior School stands in is among the 20% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, St Mary Magdalen's Catholic Junior School issued 19 suspensions, 7.9 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to St Mary Magdalen's Catholic Junior School are Queens Park Community School (0.7 miles), Harris Lowe Academy Willesden (0.7 miles) and Newman Catholic College (0.8 miles).
Queens Park Community SchoolHarris Lowe Academy WillesdenNewman Catholic College
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; DfE exclusions statistics
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 3 years agoThis judgement is from July 2014, 12 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Latest (ungraded) inspection: The school remains Good.
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's September 2023 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
St Mary Magdalen's creates a caring, values-driven environment where pupils thrive behaviourally and feel supported. The school has a particular strength in early reading and phonics, and provides excellent support for children with additional needs. Teachers use assessment effectively to adjust teaching and help pupils make good progress.
Key Strengths
- Excellent behaviour - pupils show positive behaviour for learning both in lessons and at social times
- Strong early reading programme with consistent phonics approach that helps all pupils develop reading effectively
- Well-planned support for pupils with SEND, with careful monitoring and appropriate staff training
- Ambitious curriculum that seeks to challenge all pupils academically
- Positive school culture where pupils feel safe and well cared for
Areas for Improvement
- Curriculum sequencing in some subjects doesn't consider how knowledge should build progressively, meaning pupils understand and remember content better in some subjects than others
- Wider experiences and clubs outside lessons are not fully linked together in a coherent way to enhance pupils' all-round development
Safeguarding
The arrangements for safeguarding are effective, with the school creating an open and positive culture that puts pupils' interests first.
Extracurricular Activities
Playground prefect positions, school council, outings, clubs
St Mary Magdalen's Catholic Junior School continues to be a good school where pupils live by the school's values of love, excellence, teamwork, determination and respect. Overall, pupils' achievements are strong with an academically ambitious curriculum for all pupils.
At a Glance
27.8%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has improved from 75% to 80% (2024 to 2025). Maths has remained stable at around 77% (2024 to 2025). Writing has remained stable at around 71% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
28.4
Avg class size
28.4
KS2
8
Total classes
1 class with more than 30 pupils
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with St Mary Magdalen's Catholic Junior School
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near St Mary Magdalen's Catholic Junior School.
- Happy Days ClubAt the school · Not yet graded
- Kumon Willesden Green Study CentreAt the school · Not yet graded
- Lead After School Club Willesden330m away · Not yet graded
- First Class Learning - Willesden470m away · Not yet graded
- Children Making a Change After School Project490m away · Not yet graded
Term dates
St Mary Magdalen's Catholic Junior School is a voluntary aided school, so it sets its own term dates: check the school's website. As a guide, see Brent's term dates for its community schools.
Getting There
Tube / Metro / Tram
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to St Mary Magdalen's Catholic Junior School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. St Mary Magdalen's Catholic Junior School is in Brent; for families living there:
Apply to Brent for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 156
- Fatal
- 1
- Serious
- 8
- Children hurt
- 6
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 156 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 8 serious and 147 slight.
6 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 6 on foot.
24 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 Brent is 61.5 (the median across 102 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
66%
Available places
238 pupils
360 places
122 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - London
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for London
Across Brent council
Places available
3,953
Applications
3,128
Got 1st preference
88.5%
Got preferred school
98.8%
All primary applications across Brent council (2026/27), not just this school.
Inspection History(7)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
36
SEN Support
10
EHC Plans
20.3%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
227
Total Pupils
114
Boys
113
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
14
Teachers
16.2:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£54,177
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£6,315
Per pupil
£1711k
Total funding
£100k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
5.1%
Overall absence
13.2%
Persistent absence
250
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Secondary Schools Nearby
Secondary schools pupils are likely to move to
St Mary Magdalen's Catholic Junior School
Questions parents ask about St Mary Magdalen's Catholic Junior School
What are SATs results like at St Mary Magdalen's Catholic Junior School?
Of the pupils at St Mary Magdalen's Catholic Junior School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 80% reached the expected standard in reading and 77% did so in maths.
What is St Mary Magdalen's Catholic Junior School's Ofsted rating?
St Mary Magdalen's Catholic Junior School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in September 2023, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in July 2014, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for St Mary Magdalen's Catholic Junior School?
No fixed boundary. When St Mary Magdalen's Catholic Junior School is oversubscribed, Brent allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at St Mary Magdalen's Catholic Junior School?
St Mary Magdalen's Catholic Junior School was not full in 2025: it ran at 66% of its 360 places.
How big are the classes at St Mary Magdalen's Catholic Junior School?
Classes at St Mary Magdalen's Catholic Junior School average 28.4 pupils (2025/26). 1 class has more than 30 pupils - infant classes are capped at 30 by law, with limited exceptions.
How many pupils go to St Mary Magdalen's Catholic Junior School?
St Mary Magdalen's Catholic Junior School has around 227 pupils on roll. 28% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at St Mary Magdalen's Catholic Junior School?
5.1% of sessions were missed at St Mary Magdalen's Catholic Junior School in 2024/25. 13.2% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to St Mary Magdalen's Catholic Junior School?
Apply through Brent's coordinated admissions process, naming St Mary Magdalen's Catholic Junior School on your application. The national closing date in England is 31 October for secondary places and 15 January for primary places, in the year before your child starts.
Does St Mary Magdalen's Catholic Junior School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists 2 out-of-school clubs at the school: Happy Days Club (registered, not yet graded) and Kumon Willesden Green Study Centre (registered, not yet graded). There are 3 more within a kilometre. The school may also run its own clubs, which don't have to register with Ofsted.
How many road collisions happen near St Mary Magdalen's Catholic Junior School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 156 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 8 serious and 147 slight. 6 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 6 on foot. 24 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 Brent is 61.5 (the median across 102 schools, same distance and years).
Where is St Mary Magdalen's Catholic Junior School?
St Mary Magdalen's Catholic Junior School is at Linacre Road, Willesden Green, London, NW2 5BB.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)