Saint Mary Magdalene Church of England All Through School Review 2026: Two-campus Church school with strong primary outcomes and a wide co-curricular menu

Two campuses, one set of values, and an unusual promise for London families: continuity from Nursery through to Sixth Form within the same school culture. Saint Mary Magdalene Church of England All Through School sits within the Koinonia Federation and operates across Woolwich (Kingsman Street) and the Greenwich Peninsula (Hendon Street), serving students from age 3 to 18.

The 01 November 2023 Ofsted inspection confirmed the school continues to be Good and that safeguarding arrangements are effective. The SIAMS inspection on 30 and 31 January 2018 graded the school Outstanding as a Church of England school.

What stands out day to day is breadth: a co-curricular timetable that ranges from Coding Club and Pascal Club to Girls Flag Football, pottery, choir, and a dedicated SEN Hub lunchtime social skills club.

A family ethos is not just branding here, it is built into how pupils and students are grouped and supported. Formal reviews describe campuses as calm and orderly, with positive relationships between staff and pupils and high expectations across phases. That matters in an all-through context, because it reduces the cultural “reset” that many children experience at 11.

The Church of England character is present in routine rather than ceremony alone. Primary-phase schedules explicitly include collective worship within the school day, and the faith life is structured so that students have leadership roles rather than being passive attendees. The Pupil Faith Team is organised into strands (collective worship, evaluation, outreach) and describes practical work such as meeting with a bishop, planning worship, and supporting the primary phases through outreach. For families who value faith-informed education but want an inclusive intake, the school’s own documentation and local authority materials position it as welcoming applicants regardless of faith or none, while still using faith-based oversubscription routes for some places.

On the Greenwich Peninsula, the physical environment is part of the educational offer. The federation highlights a roof garden designed for classes to read or work outdoors, with edible planting and a sensory planting area. The Peninsula campus opening is marked by a Peace Garden plaque blessed at the opening event, a small but telling detail about how the school connects place, worship, and community identity.

Because this is an all-through school with a sixth form, the fairest way to read performance is phase by phase. The school’s picture is mixed: strong primary outcomes by the published measures, broadly mid-range GCSE indicators, and weaker A-level outcomes by the available grade distribution.

Primary (Key Stage 2)

In 2024, 77.33% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics combined, above the England average of 62%. At the higher standard, 23.33% achieved the higher standard in reading, writing and mathematics, well above the England average of 8%.

Scaled scores also sit comfortably above the England benchmark of 100: reading 106 and mathematics 104, with grammar, punctuation and spelling at 108. Science is also a strength on headline measures, with 94% reaching the expected standard compared to an England average of 82%.

On the FindMySchool rankings derived from official data, the school is ranked 5,127th in England and 40th in Greenwich for primary outcomes. That places it in line with the middle 35% of primary schools in England (25th to 60th percentile), while still delivering above-average attainment on key measures in the most recent published results.

GCSE

At GCSE level, the FindMySchool ranking places the school 2,658th in England and 15th in Greenwich for GCSE outcomes (FindMySchool ranking based on official data). This sits in line with the middle 35% of schools in England (25th to 60th percentile).

The Attainment 8 score is 43.9 and Progress 8 is -0.27. In plain terms, that Progress 8 figure indicates that, on average, students made below-average progress from their starting points across the best eight subjects.

A key implication for families is that the school’s best-evidenced academic “edge” is currently earlier in the pipeline. For secondary, the wider offer (curriculum ambition, behaviour systems, personal development, enrichment) becomes as important as headline measures when assessing fit.

A-level

For A-levels, the available grade profile indicates a challenging outcomes picture in the most recent dataset. A* grades are 0.52%, A grades 2.09%, and A* to B is 15.71%. These are below the England averages (A*/A 23.6%, A* to B 47.2%).

The FindMySchool A-level ranking places the sixth form 2,487th in England and 11th in Greenwich for A-level outcomes (FindMySchool ranking based on official data). This sits below England average overall in the ranking distribution.

This does not mean a sixth form is not worth considering, but it does suggest families should interrogate subject-by-subject fit, entry requirements, and support structures rather than assuming the all-through pathway automatically delivers the strongest post-16 outcomes.

The strongest theme in formal reports is curriculum intent and continuity. The curriculum is described as ambitious from early years through to Year 13, with SEND included as part of the core design rather than an add-on.

In primary, early reading is treated as a priority from Reception, supported by staff training and structured help for pupils who fall behind. In secondary, struggling readers are identified quickly and supported to improve fluency and confidence, including for pupils with SEND. The practical implication is that pupils who need structured literacy support are less likely to be left to “drift” through the transition years, which is a common problem in large secondary settings.

Teaching quality is described as generally clear and well-pitched, with a specific improvement point: inconsistencies in identifying and addressing misconceptions quickly enough. For parents, that is a useful question for an open event: how do departments check understanding in real time, and what does intervention look like when gaps appear?

Religious education and collective worship are also positioned as high status within the wider curriculum design, with leadership and progression across key stages treated as a deliberate piece of school development.

This is a school where “next steps” can mean several different things: primary to secondary within the same institution, Year 11 to Year 12 progression, and then post-18 destinations.

For post-18 pathways, the available destinations dataset for the 2023/24 leavers cohort shows 71% progressing to university, 18% entering employment, and 2% progressing to further education, from a cohort of 62. In the same measurement period, two students applied to Oxbridge, one received an offer, and one ultimately took up a place. Read that as a small but present elite university pipeline, rather than a high-volume Oxbridge factory.

Careers education is described as structured and experience-led, including workplace encounters and external speakers, with sixth form students receiving regular support for applications to future education and employment. The school’s sixth form guidance also sets clear academic entry expectations: a minimum of five GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 including English Language and mathematics, plus subject-specific requirements for certain courses, with expectations tightened for students aiming to take four A-levels or equivalent.

Admissions at Saint Mary Magdalene work differently by phase, and the all-through structure changes the Year 7 picture in a way many families miss on first read.

Reception and Primary entry

For September 2026 entry, Royal Greenwich’s published timetable sets the application window from 01 September 2025, closing on 15 January 2026, with offer day on 16 April 2026 and acceptance by 30 April 2026.

As a Church of England school, the admissions process can include a supplementary information form route for families applying under church criteria, with the local authority noting supplementary forms are used by some schools and share the same January closing date for September 2026 entry.

Demand indicators suggest the primary entry route is competitive: 128 applications for 64 offers, around 2.0 applications per place, and recorded as oversubscribed.

Year 7 entry

For external applicants aiming for Year 7 entry for September 2026, the school’s admissions information reflects the Pan-London timetable, with applications between 01 September 2025 and 31 October 2025, and church supplementary forms due by 31 October 2025 if applying under the faith criteria. Open mornings for that cycle were published in October 2025, so families looking ahead should expect open events to typically fall in early autumn and check the school’s current listings for updated dates.

The school is also oversubscribed at secondary entry: 277 applications for 82 offers, around 3.38 applications per place. An additional piece of official context comes from the Royal Greenwich admissions booklet, which explains that pupils already attending the school’s primary phase have automatic entry into Year 7, with no need to apply through coordinated admissions for that progression route.

For families relying on distance, the same admissions booklet reports that for entry 2023 the last offer on distance was 4.29 km (after the school’s criteria were applied), and there were 350 applications for 90 places. Distances vary each year based on who applies and where they live, so it is best treated as a guide rather than a prediction. Parents comparing options can use the FindMySchoolMap Search to check their precise distance and understand how distance-based criteria typically behave in their area.

Sixth form entry

Sixth form admissions are run directly by the school, with a clearly published timetable for the 2026 cycle. Key dates include applications opening on 22 October 2025, closing on 02 February 2026 for both internal and external applicants, with late applications accepted up to 30 April 2026, interviews from March 2026, and a conditional offer acceptance deadline of 08 May 2026.

The pastoral offer is unusually layered, and the evidence points to both structured safeguarding culture and student-led support.

On the student side, leadership roles include school council structures, eco council participation, an equality group, and a council specifically for LGBTQ+ student voice, alongside trained SAFE Wellbeing Ambassadors focused on peer support and awareness of mental health resources.

On the adult-led side, personal development is framed around risk awareness and age-appropriate teaching on topics such as online safety and healthy relationships, with targeted follow-up where gaps in understanding are identified. The federation has also joined a research collaboration with King’s College London on youth mental health, using a student-informed questionnaire to gather data and inform support strategies, with opportunities for older students to contribute to data collection and learn about academic research methods.

For Black students specifically, the school reports participation in the S.M.I.L.E-ing Boys project in 2024/25, working with 14 Year 10 students through a creative arts approach including photography and storytelling, with reported gains in confidence and emotional management. That combination of targeted interventions and whole-school structures is reassuring for families who want pastoral care to be more than a single counsellor referral route.

This is where Saint Mary Magdalene becomes distinctive. The co-curricular offer is not generic, and the school publishes enough detail to give parents a real sense of what a student could actually do on a Tuesday lunchtime or a Thursday after school.

Academic and enrichment clubs

The published club timetable includes Pascal Club (Key Stage 3), Descartes Club (Years 9 to 11), Euler Club, an invitation-only Axiom Club, Coding Club for Years 7 to 9, Science Club for Key Stage 3, and a True Crime Club open to sixth formers. These are the kinds of clubs that suit students who enjoy extension beyond the lesson but prefer structured tasks to open-ended “extra reading.”

The school also makes space for practical creativity: pottery (Years 7 and 8), drawing clubs, textiles club, and opportunities for band practice and choir. Add in workshops delivered by visiting authors and competitions in poetry and short story writing, and the enrichment picture feels planned rather than accidental.

Sport and performance

Sport is well represented and broad. There are athletics sessions by year group, rugby club linked to Blackheath Rugby, cricket club, basketball across Year 9 to 10 and sixth form, and multiple strands of flag football, including Girls Flag Football. That is supported by genuine “big day” experiences, such as the Girls Flag Football team attending an NFL London game at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and taking part in a showcase match.

Performance opportunities appear regularly in the news cycle, including a student talent show spanning Year 7 to sixth form, supported by sixth form students in organisation and delivery.

Culture, trips, and student-built groups

Trips are used as curriculum extension, not just rewards. The school describes subject visits and a history trip to Italy, plus visits to museums, places of worship, and concerts, and external speakers including a local MP and a journalist.

Students also build their own identity and inclusion groups. Formal reporting references student-created clubs including a black empowerment group and a gender and sexuality group, which adds substance to the school’s equity and inclusion positioning.

The school publishes clear day structures by phase. For the primary phase, gates open at 08:40, lessons start at 08:55, and home time is 15:10, with collective worship built into the timetable. For Year 7 on the secondary phase timetable, transition time begins at 08:30, and the final session ends at 15:10. The wider secondary phase notes gate access from 08:30 and dismissal at 15:15.

Wraparound provision is available. Breakfast Club runs from 07:30 to 08:40 and is priced at £5.50 per day. The federation also describes extended-day availability up to 18:15 through breakfast and after-school provision, although club schedules and booking arrangements vary by campus and term.

For transport to the Peninsula campus, the school states it is a short walk from North Greenwich (Jubilee line), served by multiple bus routes, and that there is no on-site parking for visitors or parents, with limited local parking and enforcement against misuse of allocated spaces.

• Secondary entry is genuinely competitive. The dataset shows 277 applications for 82 offers at the Year 7 entry route. If you are applying from outside the primary phase, assume competition for places will be the limiting factor and plan a balanced set of preferences.

• Faith criteria can shape admissions decisions. Families applying under church criteria should expect supplementary paperwork with the same deadline as the main coordinated application, and should be realistic about how oversubscription plays out when categories are applied.

• Sixth form outcomes look weaker on the published grade distribution. A-level results sit well below the England averages provided, and the sixth form ranking is in the lower part of the England distribution. Students considering post-16 study here should focus on course fit, entry requirements, and the support model for their subject combination.

• Two campuses can be a benefit, but it is also a practical reality to manage. It offers continuity and resources, but families should consider commute patterns and daily logistics, especially if siblings are in different phases.

Saint Mary Magdalene offers something rare in London: an all-through Church of England school with a defined ethos, a detailed and varied co-curricular programme, and strong primary-phase outcomes on the latest published measures. It will suit families who want continuity across phases, value a faith-informed but inclusive culture, and appreciate student leadership structures that give teenagers real responsibility. The main challenge is access at key entry points for those outside the internal progression route, and the sixth form data suggests careful, subject-level due diligence is sensible before committing post-16. Families shortlisting can use the Saved Schools feature to keep track of deadlines and compare local options on a like-for-like basis.