St Mary Magdalen's Catholic Junior School
Linacre Road, Willesden Green, London, NW2 5BB
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Voluntary aided school
- Ages
- 7 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Roman Catholic
- Headteacher
- Miss Elsa Fonseca
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Westminster
- Federation
- Convent of Jesus and Mary Catholic Infant School & Nursery and St Mary Magdalen's Catholic Junior School
- Constituency
- Brent East
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 360
- Pupils on roll
- 227
- URN
- 101542
- Local authority
- Brent
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 02084593159
About this school
St Mary Magdalen's Catholic Junior School is a Roman Catholic voluntary aided primary school in London. It teaches children aged 7 to 11 and has 227 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected St Mary Magdalen's Catholic Junior School, and its latest judgement is set out below. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Seeing a school for yourself shows what no page can, so arrange a visit before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Confirmed by a short inspection, not a full one
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 14 September 2023, where inspectors confirmed the school remains Good. The school's last full inspection took place before September 2019, so its area grades are not part of Ofsted's current published data. Older reports are on the school's Ofsted page.
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 83 | 76 | 60 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 67% | 55% | 61% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 7% | 3% | 2% |
| Expected standard in reading | 75% | 75% | 80% |
| Expected standard in maths | 77% | 75% | 77% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 75% | 72% | 83% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 104.0 | 103.0 | 106.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 104.0 | 103.0 | 104.0 |
| Reading progress | -0.20 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +2.10 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +0.90 | - | - |
Progress measures ended nationally after the 2022/23 school year, when the key stage 1 assessments they were based on were stopped. Blank progress figures in later years are not missing school data.
Trends over time
How St Mary Magdalen's Catholic Junior School has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | Brent average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 67% | 60.6% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 55% | 61.1% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 61% | 64.9% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 5.6% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 5.4% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 5.1% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 299 |
| 2023/24 | 265 |
| 2024/25 | 241 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How St Mary Magdalen's Catholic Junior School compares
St Mary Magdalen's Catholic Junior School ranked 43rd of 53 primary schools in Brent for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 43% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 59% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 61% | 5.1% | 28.6% | 227 | — |
| Convent of Jesus and Mary RC Infant School | — | 4.1% | 29.9% | 204 | 0.1 miles |
| Gladstone Park Primary School | 76% | 4.6% | 28.7% | 623 | 0.3 miles |
| St Andrew and St Francis CofE Primary School | 72% | 5.3% | 36.8% | 434 | 0.3 miles |
| Donnington Primary School | 64% | 5.6% | 42.9% | 218 | 0.5 miles |
| Anson Primary School | 68% | 5.1% | 32.2% | 418 | 0.6 miles |
Results reflect each school's cohort as much as its teaching, and free school meals share is context, not a judgement. Small gaps between neighbouring schools are rarely meaningful on their own.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 28.63%
- English as an additional language
- 65.6%
- Overall absence
- 5.09%
- Persistent absence
- 13.2%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Convent of Jesus and Mary RC Infant School0.1 miles
Primary · London
-
Gladstone Park Primary School0.3 miles
Primary · London
-
St Andrew and St Francis CofE Primary School0.3 miles
Primary · London
-
Donnington Primary School0.5 miles
Primary · London
-
Anson Primary School0.6 miles
Primary · London
Other schools in London
St Mary Magdalen's Catholic Junior School ranks 785th of the 948 ranked primary schools in London.
- Abacus Belsize Primary School Primary
- Acton Gardens Primary School Primary
- Adamsrill Primary School Primary
- Addison Primary School Primary
- Ainslie Wood Primary School Primary
- Akiva School Primary
- Albemarle Primary School Primary
- Albion Primary School Primary
- Alderbrook Primary School Primary
- Aldersbrook Primary School Primary
- Alderwood Primary School Primary
- Alexander McLeod Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What ages does St Mary Magdalen's Catholic Junior School teach?
- St Mary Magdalen's Catholic Junior School teaches children aged 7 to 11. It is a primary school in London.
- Who is the headteacher of St Mary Magdalen's Catholic Junior School?
- The headteacher of St Mary Magdalen's Catholic Junior School is Miss Elsa Fonseca, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has St Mary Magdalen's Catholic Junior School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected St Mary Magdalen's Catholic Junior School, and its latest judgement is set out in the inspection section on this page, with the framework and the date it was made.
- How many pupils are at St Mary Magdalen's Catholic Junior School?
- St Mary Magdalen's Catholic Junior School has 227 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 7 to 11.
- Is St Mary Magdalen's Catholic Junior School full?
- St Mary Magdalen's Catholic Junior School has capacity for 360 pupils and 227 on roll (63%), so it has space against its published capacity. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is St Mary Magdalen's Catholic Junior School a faith school?
- Yes. St Mary Magdalen's Catholic Junior School is designated Roman Catholic, in the Archdiocese of Westminster.
- Does St Mary Magdalen's Catholic Junior School have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records St Mary Magdalen's Catholic Junior School as having no nursery classes.
- Is St Mary Magdalen's Catholic Junior School part of an academy trust?
- St Mary Magdalen's Catholic Junior School is part of the Convent of Jesus and Mary Catholic Infant School & Nursery and St Mary Magdalen's Catholic Junior School federation. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have St Mary Magdalen's Catholic Junior School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 67% in 2022/23 and 61% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does St Mary Magdalen's Catholic Junior School compare with other schools in Brent?
- St Mary Magdalen's Catholic Junior School ranked 43rd of 53 primary schools in Brent for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 43% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 59% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is St Mary Magdalen's Catholic Junior School's absence rate?
- St Mary Magdalen's Catholic Junior School's overall absence rate is 5.1% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are St Mary Magdalen's Catholic Junior School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, St Mary Magdalen's Catholic Junior School's key stage results are shown in the results section on this page, with the last three years so you can see the trend rather than a single year.
School details come from the Department for Education's Get Information About Schools register. Inspection outcomes come from Ofsted, and exam results from the Department for Education's school performance service. This page was last updated on 29 June 2026.