The FMS Inspection Score is FindMySchool's proprietary analysis based on official Ofsted and ISI inspection reports. It converts ratings into a standardised 1–10 scale for fair comparison across all schools in England.
Disclaimer: The FMS Inspection Score is an independent analysis by FindMySchool. It is not endorsed by or affiliated with Ofsted or ISI. Always refer to the official Ofsted or ISI report for the full picture of a school’s inspection outcome.
Junior schools can feel like a bridge; four years to move from “learning the basics” to genuine independence, with Key Stage 2 tests and secondary transfer on the horizon. St Mary Magdalen’s Catholic Junior School serves pupils aged 7 to 11 in Willesden Green, and it sits within a federation formed in November 2021 with the Convent of Jesus and Mary Catholic Infant School and Nursery.
The latest Ofsted inspection (13 and 14 September 2023) confirmed the school continues to be Good, and also confirmed safeguarding arrangements are effective. Those headlines matter, but so do the practicalities for families. This is a Catholic junior school, so admissions involve both local authority coordination and a faith-based supplementary process for Year 3 entry. Wraparound care is available on site via a breakfast and after-school club with published hours and day rates, which can be a deciding factor for working parents.
This is a school that frames daily life through an explicitly Catholic lens. The Section 48 Catholic Schools Inspectorate report (25 to 26 June 2025) graded the school’s Catholic life and mission, religious education, and collective worship at the top grade in the report’s scale, and describes a community where worship, prayer, and service are woven into routine rather than added on as occasional events.
Practical expressions of that ethos show up in named roles and groups. Mini Vinnies are part of the school’s Catholic life, with pupils taking leadership in prayer and liturgy in the federation context, and chaplaincy is presented as an active strand rather than a badge. That can suit families who want faith formation to feel normal and consistent through the week. For families who are less observant, it is still worth recognising that the Catholic identity is not a light touch, and expectations can be more explicit than at many “Catholic in name” schools.
Leadership is clearly signposted. Miss Fonseca as Executive Headteacher, and Miss Brooks as Deputy Headteacher, Designated Safeguarding Lead, and Religious Education leader, which gives a sense of where responsibilities sit. If you are comparing options, that clarity matters because junior schools often need strong coordination across curriculum, safeguarding, and transition work as pupils approach Year 6.
A final note on context: this is a junior school, so pupils typically arrive at age 7 from an infant school rather than starting in Reception. That tends to shape culture. Expectations and routines can be set quickly because pupils arrive already “school-ready”, and families are choosing at a point when they have more information about their child’s learning style than they did at age 4.
The most recent published Key Stage 2 outcomes show:
73.33% reached the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics combined, compared with an England average of 62%.
At the higher standard, 11.67% achieved the higher standard in reading, writing and mathematics, compared with an England average of 8%.
Average scaled scores were 103 in reading, 103 in mathematics, and 104 in grammar, punctuation and spelling.
These figures indicate outcomes above England averages on several headline measures, especially the combined expected standard and higher standard comparison.
Rankings can tell a different part of the story, because they compress several measures into one position. Ranked 10,541st in England and 45th in Brent for primary outcomes (FindMySchool ranking), this sits below England average overall in the ranking system, even with some above-average headline measures. In practice, that can happen when progress across subjects is uneven, when higher attainment distribution is not as strong as peers, or when performance is “good in the middle” but less strong at the very top. The best way to interpret this as a parent is to hold both truths at once: outcomes look respectable against England averages, and there may still be specific areas where the school is working to tighten consistency.
If you are comparing nearby schools, FindMySchool’s Local Hub and Comparison Tool can help you view these indicators side-by-side, rather than relying on one headline statistic.
England ranks and key metrics (where available)
Reading, Writing & Maths
73.33%
% of pupils achieving expected standard
The curriculum is presented as knowledge-led, with the school describing the use of “knowledge organisers” that include key vocabulary and supporting visuals such as timelines, maps, and diagrams. For many pupils, this approach reduces cognitive load because it makes “what to remember” more explicit, and it supports retrieval practice at home without parents having to guess what matters.
The 2023 inspection narrative points to an ambitious curriculum overall, with the key improvement point around sequencing in some subjects, meaning that order and building blocks are not consistently designed so pupils can retain and build knowledge as effectively as they could. That is a very specific issue to ask about on a visit or at an open event. A useful parent question is: what has changed in subject plans since September 2023, and how is sequencing checked across year groups?
Reading is treated as a priority, including structured support for pupils at earlier stages of reading development, and quick identification for those who need extra help. For a junior school intake, this matters because pupils arrive with different phonics histories, and Year 3 can be a point where gaps suddenly become visible as texts become longer and vocabulary load increases.
SEND support is described for careful planning, staff training, and good transition communication between previous and future settings, which is especially relevant for a junior school that sits between two transfer points. If your child has additional needs, the most practical line of enquiry is not the label but the mechanics: how interventions are scheduled without narrowing curriculum access, how teachers adapt tasks in lessons, and how progress is tracked term-by-term.
Quality of Education
Good
Behaviour & Attitudes
Good
Personal Development
Good
Leadership & Management
Good
FMS Inspection Score calculated by FindMySchool based on official inspection data.
As a junior school, the main destination question is secondary transfer, and the school provides a dedicated secondary transfer guidance page. In London, Year 6 families often face a wide choice set: local comprehensive options, faith schools, and in some cases selective routes further afield. Because this is a Catholic school, many families will also consider Catholic secondary schools, and the best indicator of “typical destinations” is usually the pattern of parental preference in the cohort, which schools do not always publish as a neat list.
A sensible way to use what is available is to treat the school’s secondary transfer guidance as process support, then build your own shortlist based on distance, travel time, and each secondary school’s admissions criteria. If you want a quick reality check, map your home-to-school distances for likely secondaries and compare them to recent allocation distances. FindMySchoolMap Search is designed to do exactly that, and it reduces the risk of shortlisting a school that is only “theoretical” from your address.
Because this school does not have a sixth form, there is no university destinations section to interpret here, and there are no sixth-form performance measures for this school.
The important point is that this is a Year 3 entry school, and the school publishes a clear two-stage process for junior transfer.
For September 2026 Year 3 entry, the published deadline was 11.59pm on Wednesday 15 January 2026 via eAdmissions, with the school’s supplementary forms due to the school office by 3pm on the same date. Because today is 08 February 2026, those specific dates are now in the past, but the timing is a strong indicator of the usual annual pattern for junior transfer, and parents should expect mid-January deadlines unless the local authority timetable changes.
The Catholic element is also explicit. The published documentation list for junior transfer includes a Certificate of Catholic Practice where applicable, and supporting evidence for other faith traditions where relevant, alongside baptismal documentation where applicable. In practical terms, families pursuing a Catholic place should plan parish paperwork early, because “forms due in January” can hide the reality that parish appointment availability is the real constraint.
In-year admissions are handled directly with the school using published forms for the relevant academic year. This is particularly relevant for families moving into Brent mid-year, or for pupils seeking a move for pastoral reasons.
The clearest externally-validated headline is safeguarding effectiveness from the 2023 inspection. Beyond that, the school’s structure around responsibility is worth noting. Pupils are given positions of responsibility such as playground prefects, and there is an elected school council, which indicates an approach that uses structured roles to reinforce behaviour norms.
For parents, the practical question is consistency: are routines applied in the same way across classes and year groups? The inspection account emphasises routines and commonly understood expectations, which usually translates into calmer lessons and fewer low-level disruptions, especially important in a junior school where content density increases quickly from Year 4 onwards.
Attendance expectations and punctuality are published, including that pupils should be in school between 8.45am and 9.00am, and that arrivals after 9.30am are recorded as a half-day absence. If you are deciding between schools with different start times, this kind of clarity helps families build a reliable morning routine.
A school’s “extra” offer is only useful if it is concrete, accessible, and consistent. Here, there are named strands that signal what pupils can actually do.
Faith-linked activities are prominent. The website navigation and Catholic life pages highlight Mini Vinnies, chaplaincy, and choir as specific opportunities, and the Section 48 report also describes singing as a strength that enriches worship. For some pupils, that combination of performance, responsibility, and spiritual formation is exactly the kind of structure that builds confidence.
There is also a practical enrichment layer through trips, clubs, and outings, with the 2023 inspection noting that pupils take part and that the offer is inclusive, while also pointing out that the school should think more coherently about how these experiences link together to broaden horizons. That is not a criticism of “having clubs”, it is a prompt to knit them into an intentional progression. For parents, a good question is whether enrichment is planned by year group, and whether there is a clear “journey” from Year 3 to Year 6 for leadership, sport, arts, and service.
Wraparound care is unusually detailed on the school site, and that matters because after-school provision often doubles as enrichment time. Breakfast club runs 7.30am to 9.00am and the after-school club runs 3.10pm to 6.00pm on weekdays, with published day rates. Even if your child will not attend daily, having the option can reduce stress in weeks where work schedules change.
Morning arrival is expected between 8.45am and 9.00am, and after-school club provision starts from 3.10pm, which aligns with typical junior-school end-of-day timing. Breakfast club and after-school club hours are published, which is helpful for working families planning childcare.
Transport links are strong. Willesden Green Underground station is stated as a five-minute walk, and the school lists bus routes serving the area (260, 266, 52, and 98). Parking is described as on-site by request only, with controlled parking zone restrictions locally, so families who drive should assume on-street options will be limited and time-restricted.
This is a junior school, not a Reception start. Entry is typically at Year 3, so families need a plan for infant schooling and transition, and they should pay attention to how well the school supports pupils arriving with varied academic foundations.
Faith criteria can be document-heavy. The junior transfer guidance references the Certificate of Catholic Practice and related evidence; parish timelines, not just school deadlines, can be the practical constraint.
Results look stronger on some measures than the overall rank suggests. Expected standard and scaled scores are above England averages in the latest published figures, yet the FindMySchool rank sits in the lower band nationally. Use this as a prompt to ask about consistency across subjects and how curriculum improvements since 2023 are embedding.
Parking and drop-off may require planning. With controlled parking locally and on-site parking described as by request only, families should test the route at school-run times.
St Mary Magdalen’s Catholic Junior School offers a clearly structured junior phase with a strong Catholic identity, published wraparound options, and a Good Ofsted judgement supported by effective safeguarding. Results in the latest data are above England averages on several headline measures, even as the overall ranking signals room to tighten consistency across the full curriculum.
Who it suits: families seeking a Catholic junior education in Brent, who value faith life, clear routines, and practical wraparound care, and who are comfortable navigating a documentation-led admissions process for Year 3 entry.
The school is judged Good by Ofsted, following an inspection on 13 and 14 September 2023, and safeguarding arrangements were confirmed as effective. Key Stage 2 outcomes in the latest published results show results above England averages on several measures, including the combined expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics.
For Year 3 junior transfer, the school published a mid-January deadline for September 2026 entry, using the local authority eAdmissions route plus supplementary forms submitted to the school. Deadlines change year to year, so families should treat the timing as indicative and check the current timetable.
No. This is a Catholic junior school for ages 7 to 11, so pupils typically join in Year 3 and leave at the end of Year 6.
Yes. The school publishes breakfast club hours (7.30am to 9.00am) and after-school club hours (3.10pm to 6.00pm) on weekdays, with published day rates.
The school states that Willesden Green Underground station is about a five-minute walk, and it lists local bus routes serving the area. Parking is limited and on-site parking is by request only, so travel planning matters.
Get in touch with the school directly
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