St Mary Magdalene Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy
Wellfield Drive, Burnley, BB12 0JD
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 4 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Roman Catholic
- Trust
- ROMERO CATHOLIC ACADEMY TRUST
- Associate Headteacher
- Mrs Sarah Price
- Diocese
- Diocese of Salford
- Sponsor
- Romero Catholic Academy Trust
- Constituency
- Burnley
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 210
- Pupils on roll
- 191
- URN
- 148993
- Local authority
- Lancashire
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01282436880
About this school
St Mary Magdalene Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy is a Roman Catholic primary academy in Burnley. It teaches children aged 4 to 11 and has 191 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. Numbers and a report only go so far, so visit in person 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
- Good
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Good
- Personal development
- Good
- Leadership and management
- Good
- Early years
- Good
- 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 | 28 | 30 | 29 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 32% | 53% | 69% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 4% | 3% | 14% |
| Expected standard in reading | 79% | 73% | 79% |
| Expected standard in maths | 36% | 63% | 86% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 50% | 70% | 72% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 104.0 | 106.0 | 106.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 98.0 | 104.0 | 106.0 |
| Reading progress | -0.80 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -0.90 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -5.50 | - | - |
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 Magdalene Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary 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 | Lancashire average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 32% | 58.3% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 53% | 58.3% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 69% | 58.8% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 5.2% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 5.6% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 3.8% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 205 |
| 2023/24 | 195 |
| 2024/25 | 195 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How St Mary Magdalene Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy compares
St Mary Magdalene Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy ranked 152nd of 445 primary schools in Lancashire for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 63% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 89% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 69% | 3.8% | 19% | 191 | — |
| Wellfield Methodist and Anglican Church School | 70% | 3.9% | 19.3% | 208 | 0.0 miles |
| Whittlefield Primary School | 67% | 5.2% | 36.9% | 188 | 0.4 miles |
| Burnley Ightenhill Primary School | 46% | 6.2% | 55% | 349 | 0.5 miles |
| Burnley Stoneyholme Community Primary School | 79% | 3.9% | 34.4% | 406 | 0.7 miles |
| Burnley Holy Trinity Church of England Primary School | 45% | 5.6% | 54.5% | 206 | 0.9 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
- 11 October 2023
-
Ungraded inspection report18 September 2019
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 18.97%
- English as an additional language
- 13.3%
- Overall absence
- 3.77%
- Persistent absence
- 7.02%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Wellfield Methodist and Anglican Church School0.0 miles
Primary · Burnley
-
Whittlefield Primary School0.4 miles
Primary · Burnley
-
Burnley Ightenhill Primary School0.5 miles
Primary · Burnley
-
Burnley Stoneyholme Community Primary School0.7 miles
Primary · Burnley
-
Burnley Holy Trinity Church of England Primary School0.9 miles
Primary · Burnley
Other schools in Burnley
St Mary Magdalene Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy ranks 8th of the 33 ranked primary schools in Burnley.
- Barden Primary School Primary
- Briercliffe Primary School Primary
- Burnley Brunshaw Primary School Primary
- Burnley Holy Trinity Church of England Primary School Primary
- Burnley Ightenhill Primary School Primary
- Burnley Lowerhouse Junior School Primary
- Burnley Springfield Community Primary School Primary
- Burnley St Peter's Church of England Primary School Primary
- Burnley St Stephen's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School Primary
- Burnley Stoneyholme Community Primary School Primary
- Casterton Primary Academy Primary
- Cherry Fold Community Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What year groups does St Mary Magdalene Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy teach?
- St Mary Magdalene Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy teaches children aged 4 to 11. It is a primary school in Burnley.
- Who is the associate headteacher of St Mary Magdalene Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy?
- The associate headteacher of St Mary Magdalene Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy is Mrs Sarah Price, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was St Mary Magdalene Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected St Mary Magdalene Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary 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 Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy?
- St Mary Magdalene Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy has 191 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 4 to 11.
- Is St Mary Magdalene Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy full?
- St Mary Magdalene Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy has capacity for 210 pupils and 191 on roll (91%), 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 Magdalene Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy a faith school?
- Yes. St Mary Magdalene Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy is designated Roman Catholic, in the Diocese of Salford.
- Does St Mary Magdalene Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records St Mary Magdalene Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy as having no nursery classes.
- Who runs St Mary Magdalene Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy?
- St Mary Magdalene Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy is part of ROMERO CATHOLIC ACADEMY 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 Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 32% in 2022/23 and 69% 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 Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy rank locally?
- St Mary Magdalene Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy ranked 152nd of 445 primary schools in Lancashire for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 63% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 89% 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 Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy's absence rate?
- St Mary Magdalene Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy's overall absence rate is 3.8% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are St Mary Magdalene Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, St Mary Magdalene Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary 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 3 July 2026.