St Mary Magdalene Academy
Liverpool Road, Islington, London, N7 8PG
- Phase
- All-through
- School type
- Academy sponsor led
- Ages
- 4 to 19
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Trust
- HIVE EDUCATION TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mr John Reardon
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Religious ethos
- None
- Diocese
- Diocese of London
- Sponsor
- Diocese of London
- Constituency
- Islington South and Finsbury
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 1,360
- Pupils on roll
- 1,561
- URN
- 134314
- Local authority
- Islington
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 02076970123
About this school
St Mary Magdalene Academy is a Church of England all-through academy in London. It teaches children aged 4 to 19 and has 1,561 pupils on roll.
You can read Ofsted's latest judgement for the school 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
Overall judgement at the last full inspection
This inspection took place under the previous framework, which gave a single overall grade. Ofsted now publishes report cards instead, so newer inspections of other schools will look different. How Ofsted report cards work
- Quality of education
- Outstanding
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Outstanding
- Personal development
- Outstanding
- Leadership and management
- Outstanding
- Early years
- Good
- Sixth form
- Outstanding
- Safeguarding
- Effective
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 29 | 30 | 30 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 76% | 93% | 77% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 28% | 43% | 30% |
| Expected standard in reading | 79% | 93% | 80% |
| Expected standard in maths | 90% | 97% | 77% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 79% | 97% | 77% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 107.0 | 111.0 | 108.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 108.0 | 113.0 | 107.0 |
| Reading progress | +2.20 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +6.20 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +3.80 | - | - |
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.
Key stage 4 (GCSEs)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 4 | 180 | 198 | 198 |
| Attainment 8 score | 54.9 | 56.6 | 59.3 |
| Progress 8 score | +0.08 -0.13 to +0.29 | +0.30 +0.10 to +0.51 | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 62% | 65.7% | 70.7% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 74% | 79.8% | 81.8% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | 51% | 54.5% | 58.1% |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | 5.0 | 5.3 | 5.6 |
Progress 8 is paused nationally for the 2024/25 and 2025/26 school years. Those pupils sat no key stage 2 tests during the Covid pandemic, so there is no starting point to measure progress from. A blank figure here is not missing school data.
Trends over time
How St Mary Magdalene Academy has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | Islington average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 76% | 63% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 93% | 64.9% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 77% | 63.8% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | Islington average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 54.9 | 44.8 | 39.8 |
| 2023/24 | 56.6 | 46.5 | 39.5 |
| 2024/25 | 59.3 | 45.5 | 39 |
Department for Education KS4 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 8.2% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 7.3% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 6.9% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 1,536 |
| 2023/24 | 1,554 |
| 2024/25 | 1,554 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How St Mary Magdalene Academy compares
St Mary Magdalene Academy ranked 1st of 8 secondary schools in Islington for Attainment 8 in 2024/25. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 92% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 26% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | Attainment 8 (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 59.3 | 6.9% | 38.2% | 1,561 | — |
| Ark King Solomon Academy | 51.3 | 7.4% | 64.4% | 1,319 | 3.1 miles |
| Ark Globe Academy | 48.4 | 7.2% | 65.6% | 1,272 | 3.7 miles |
| Harris Academy Tottenham | 52.8 | 7.4% | 41.9% | 1,307 | 3.7 miles |
| St Paul's Way Trust School | 51.8 | 5.4% | 54.8% | 1,866 | 4.2 miles |
| Bobby Moore Academy | 45.6 | 11.1% | 49.8% | 971 | 4.2 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.
Inspection history
- 3 July 2023
-
Ungraded inspection report27 April 2022
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 38.15%
- English as an additional language
- 18.7%
- Overall absence
- 6.93%
- Persistent absence
- 17.27%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Ark King Solomon Academy3.1 miles
All-through · London
-
Ark Globe Academy3.7 miles
All-through · London
-
Harris Academy Tottenham3.7 miles
All-through · London
-
St Paul's Way Trust School4.2 miles
All-through · London
-
Bobby Moore Academy4.2 miles
All-through · London
Other schools in London
St Mary Magdalene Academy ranks 338th of the 948 ranked primary schools in London, and St Mary Magdalene Academy ranks 43rd of the 258 ranked secondary schools in London.
- Ark Globe Academy All-through
- Ark John Keats Academy All-through
- Ark King Solomon Academy All-through
- Bobby Moore Academy All-through
- Buxton School All-through
- Dunraven School All-through
- Edmonton County School All-through
- George Mitchell School All-through
- Harris Academy Chobham All-through
- Harris Academy Tottenham All-through
- Langdon Academy All-through
- Prendergast Vale School All-through
Common questions
- What year groups does St Mary Magdalene Academy teach?
- St Mary Magdalene Academy teaches children aged 4 to 19. It is an all-through school in London.
- Who is the headteacher of St Mary Magdalene Academy?
- The headteacher of St Mary Magdalene Academy is Mr John Reardon, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was St Mary Magdalene Academy last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected St Mary Magdalene Academy, and its latest judgement is set out in the inspection section on this page, with the framework and the date it was made.
- How big is St Mary Magdalene Academy?
- St Mary Magdalene Academy has 1,561 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 4 to 19.
- Is St Mary Magdalene Academy full?
- St Mary Magdalene Academy has capacity for 1,360 pupils and 1,561 on roll (115%), so it is at or above 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 Magdalene Academy a faith school?
- Yes. St Mary Magdalene Academy is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of London.
- Is St Mary Magdalene Academy a selective school?
- No. St Mary Magdalene Academy is recorded as non-selective in the schools register.
- Does St Mary Magdalene Academy have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records St Mary Magdalene Academy as having no nursery classes.
- Who runs St Mary Magdalene Academy?
- St Mary Magdalene Academy is part of HIVE EDUCATION TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have St Mary Magdalene Academy's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 76% in 2022/23 and 77% 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 Magdalene Academy rank locally?
- St Mary Magdalene Academy ranked 1st of 8 secondary schools in Islington for Attainment 8. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 92% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 26% 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 Magdalene Academy's absence rate?
- St Mary Magdalene Academy's overall absence rate is 6.9% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are St Mary Magdalene Academy's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, St Mary Magdalene Academy'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 1 July 2026.