St Mary Magdalen's Catholic Primary School, SEAHAM
St Mary Magdalen's Catholic Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 4 to 11 in Seaham, part of Bishop Chadwick Catholic Education Trust. It has a Roman Catholic religious character. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 4th-highest of the 9 schools in SEAHAM with published results, and 2,822nd of 14,452 across England. It was full in 2025, at 101% of capacity.
- SATs results
- Above England average
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- Better than England average
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 80 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to County Durham (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 27 Oct 2026
St Mary Magdalen's Catholic Primary School in detail
St Mary Magdalen's Catholic Primary School in its own words
In its own words: "Welcome St. Mary Magdalen's Catholic Primary School part of Bishop Chadwick Catholic Education Trust. You are always welcome to arrange a visit and the pupils would be delighted to show you around school and to show you why St. Mary Magdalen's is such a special place to learn."
Vision and values (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 81% of Year 6 pupils at St Mary Magdalen's Catholic Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 92% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 75% and 74% in County Durham and 77% and 75% across England.
Results rose from 81% in reading and 86% in maths in 2024.
Getting a place at St Mary Magdalen's Catholic Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 28 families put St Mary Magdalen's Catholic Primary School as their first choice and 61 named it as one of their preferences, for 28 places offered. That is one first choice for every place. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Admissions history and your chances at St Mary Magdalen's Catholic Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to St Mary Magdalen's Catholic Primary School are Seaham Trinity Primary School (0.3 miles, Good, 64% reading, 64% maths); Ropery Walk Primary School (0.6 miles, Good, 74% reading, 91% maths); Seaview Primary School (0.8 miles, Good, 73% reading, 80% maths); and New Seaham Academy (1.1 miles, Good, 97% reading, 94% maths).
St Mary Magdalen's Catholic Primary School's 2025 results were higher than 3 of these 4 schools.
Seaham Trinity Primary SchoolRopery Walk Primary SchoolSeaview Primary SchoolNew Seaham Academy
The trust
St Mary Magdalen's Catholic Primary School is one of 31 schools run by Bishop Chadwick Catholic Education Trust, an academy trust.
Across the trust's primary schools, 72% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths in 2024/25.
What parents say
51 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about St Mary Magdalen's Catholic Primary School (as of September 2025): 98% would recommend the school, 98% say their child is happy there and 50% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that pupils behave well (100%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (50%).
Who goes there
13% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 1.3% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 30 pupils (9.7%) received SEN support and 8 (2.6%) had an education, health and care plan, against 16.2% and 4.6% at the average state school. The most common need among them is autism.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Seaham Rail Station, about 380 metres away (roughly a 5-minute walk).
14 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is St Mary Magdalen School (ne-bound), 80 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 238 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and shoplifting. That is well above the typical figure around schools in County Durham (84), as is usual near a town centre.
Suspensions and exclusions
St Mary Magdalen's Catholic Primary School recorded no suspensions or permanent exclusions in 2024/25.
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE multi-academy trust performance data; 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; DfE exclusions statistics
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 2 years agoOverall
Latest (ungraded) inspection: The school has improved significantly.
St Mary Magdalen's Catholic Primary School has had no graded Ofsted inspection since it took its current form in July 2022. Before that, as St Mary Magdalen's Roman Catholic Voluntary Aided Primary School, Seaham (URN 114236), it was rated Good in January 2013.
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's March 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
St Mary Magdalen's is a welcoming school where children are happy, safe and enjoy learning. Teachers are highly skilled and use excellent subject knowledge to help pupils make excellent progress. The school goes beyond academics, carefully developing pupils' personal character through strong pastoral care, teaching them to manage emotions and understand right from wrong.
Key Strengths
- Pupils display exceptional behaviour with impeccable conduct in lessons and at playtime
- Highly ambitious and carefully designed curriculum with clear identification of key knowledge, vocabulary and skills
- Exceptionally well-supported pupils with special educational needs and disabilities who fully access the ambitious curriculum
- Highly skilled teachers who implement the curriculum with expertise and provide clear feedback to help pupils improve
- Strong focus on phonics with precision implementation, helping pupils read with fluency and confidence
Safeguarding
The arrangements for safeguarding are effective, with school leaders maintaining an open and positive culture that puts pupils' interests first.
Extracurricular Activities
Buddy system, leadership roles, parish community service (Ave Maria group with Irish dancing), annual careers fair, school visits and visiting speakers (local business representatives discussing sustainability)
St Mary Magdalen's Catholic Primary School is a nurturing and inspirational school where pupils flourish and achieve extremely well. Evidence from this ungraded inspection suggests the school's work may have improved significantly across all areas since the previous good judgment in 2013.
At a Glance
13.0%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
51 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has remained stable at around 81% (2024 to 2025). Maths has improved from 86% to 92% (2024 to 2025). Writing has remained stable at around 81% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
27.7
Avg class size
26.2
Infant (KS1)
29.2
KS2
10
Total classes
1 class with more than 30 pupils
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Social & online
Keep up with St Mary Magdalen's Catholic Primary School
Getting There
Train Stations
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to St Mary Magdalen's Catholic Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. St Mary Magdalen's Catholic Primary School is in County Durham; for families living there:
- County Durham's school travel policy: School transport policies and strategies
- How to apply: Apply for free home to school travel
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 6
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 2
- Children hurt
- 2
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 6 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 4 slight.
2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot and 1 on a bicycle.
1 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 County Durham is 5 (the median across 280 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
Your chances of a place at St Mary Magdalen's Catholic Primary School
Will you get a place at St Mary Magdalen's Catholic Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against St Mary Magdalen's Catholic Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for St Mary Magdalen's Catholic Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to St Mary Magdalen's Catholic Primary School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from County Durham, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at St Mary Magdalen's Catholic Primary School for 2023 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in County Durham got their first choice, and how often appeals there succeed.
- The nearest state schools to your home, with Ofsted rating, demand and last distance offered where published.
- Key dates for September 2027 entry and how to apply.
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
101%
Over capacity
302 pupils
300 places
2 pupils over capacity in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - SEAHAM
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for SEAHAM
Across County Durham council
Places available
6,581
Applications
4,409
Got 1st preference
97.3%
Got preferred school
99.4%
All primary applications across County Durham council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History
Ungraded inspection: The school has improved significantly.
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
30
SEN Support
8
EHC Plans
12.3%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
308
Total Pupils
146
Boys
162
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
15
Teachers
20.5:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£45,077
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£4,999
Per pupil
£1689k
Total funding
£71k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
3.5%
Overall absence
6.1%
Persistent absence
264
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 Primary School
Questions parents ask about St Mary Magdalen's Catholic Primary School
What are SATs results like at St Mary Magdalen's Catholic Primary School?
Of the pupils at St Mary Magdalen's Catholic Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 81% reached the expected standard in reading and 92% did so in maths.
What is St Mary Magdalen's Catholic Primary School's Ofsted rating?
St Mary Magdalen's Catholic Primary School has had no graded Ofsted inspection since it took its current form in July 2022. Before that, as St Mary Magdalen's Roman Catholic Voluntary Aided Primary School, Seaham (URN 114236), it was rated Good in January 2013.
What is the catchment area for St Mary Magdalen's Catholic Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When St Mary Magdalen's Catholic Primary School is oversubscribed, County Durham 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 Primary School?
St Mary Magdalen's Catholic Primary School was full in 2025, at 101% of its capacity, so places are allocated on the oversubscription criteria.
How big are the classes at St Mary Magdalen's Catholic Primary School?
Classes at St Mary Magdalen's Catholic Primary School average 27.7 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 Primary School?
St Mary Magdalen's Catholic Primary School has around 308 pupils on roll. 13% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at St Mary Magdalen's Catholic Primary School?
3.5% of sessions were missed at St Mary Magdalen's Catholic Primary School in 2024/25. 6.1% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to St Mary Magdalen's Catholic Primary School?
Apply through County Durham's coordinated admissions process, naming St Mary Magdalen's Catholic Primary School on your application. Applications for Reception places starting in September 2027 close on Friday 15 January 2027, and offers are made on Friday 16 April 2027.
How many road collisions happen near St Mary Magdalen's Catholic Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 6 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 4 slight. 2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot and 1 on a bicycle. 1 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 County Durham is 5 (the median across 280 schools, same distance and years).
Where is St Mary Magdalen's Catholic Primary School?
St Mary Magdalen's Catholic Primary School is at Dene House Road, SEAHAM, County Durham, SR7 7BJ.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)