St Mary Magdalene Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy

St Mary Magdalene Catholic Primary School is performing well overall, achieving a 'Good' rating in all inspection domains. The pupils arrive eager to learn and are supported by a dedicated staff that fosters a positive learning environment. The school has established high expectations for achievement, and parents express satisfaction with the support their children receive. There is a strong reading culture in place, though there are some areas for improvement in delivering the reading curriculum adequately. This is the school's first inspection following its conversion to an academy in May 2022 under the Romero Catholic Academy Trust.

Strengths

• Pupils demonstrate a strong willingness to learn.
• Staff effectively manage classroom behavior.
• Strong leadership fosters a positive school culture.
• Reading curriculum is well-supported with high-quality texts.
• Pupils actively engage in leadership opportunities.
• Parents feel well-informed and supported by the school.
• Effective support systems for pupils with SEND.

Areas for Improvement

• Some aspects of the reading curriculum are not delivered effectively.
• Pupils' understanding of different cultures needs improvement.

Admissions: local authority offers data from the Department for Education. A school is oversubscribed when at least 5% of the families who put it first were not offered a place, and undersubscribed when everyone who put it first got in but 10% or more of its places were unfilled in the Department's school capacity survey (the latest survey is used for entry years it does not cover). Places: Department for Education, School capacity, from local authorities' annual survey as at 1 May. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024–25); the survey was not run in 2020. Places include sixth form places. Forecasts are the local authority's own for the school's planning area, an area it uses to plan places that is not the school's catchment area. The forecast starts from a head count in 2025; the dashed line is the Department's estimate of places in that area, including those the authority has firm plans for. Planned places are cumulative, and only those with firm plans are counted.

In 2024–25 pupils at St Mary Magdalene Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy attended 96.2% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 7.0% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 13.0%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.

In 2024–25, 0.0% of pupils at St Mary Magdalene Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). No pupils were permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.

In 2025–26 St Mary Magdalene Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy had 21.2 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 0.0% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 15.7%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.

In 2025–26, 23.0% of pupils at St Mary Magdalene Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 7.3% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

Pupils by main type of need

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded primary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2024–25 St Mary Magdalene Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy received £7,598 and spent £7,309 for each of its 195 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £131,000 (£669 per pupil).

Across all 16 schools of Romero Catholic Academy Trust, income was £8,388 and spending £8,280 per pupil.

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24). Academy figures include a share of the trust's central services, shared out by pupil numbers, and are rounded to the nearest £1,000. Premises costs were defined differently from 2024, so compare them across that gap with care.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Burnley · Lancashire local authority: places and applications

St Mary Magdalene Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy is part of Romero Catholic Academy Trust, which runs 18 schools. The nearest others:

• St Augustine of Canterbury RC Primary School, A Voluntary Academy Burnley
• Blessed Trinity Roman Catholic College, A Voluntary Academy Burnley
• St Mary's RC Primary School, a Voluntary Academy Burnley
• Christ The King Roman Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy Burnley
• St John the Baptist RC Primary School, a Voluntary Academy Burnley
• Holy Trinity Roman Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy Nelson
• St John Southworth RC Primary School, A Voluntary Academy Nelson
• St Anne's and St Joseph's RC Primary School, A Voluntary Academy Accrington
• Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy Colne
• St Charles' Roman Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy Blackburn

What is St Mary Magdalene Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for St Mary Magdalene Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy is Good, from an inspection in November 2023.

When was St Mary Magdalene Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

St Mary Magdalene Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy was last inspected in November 2023.

How many pupils does St Mary Magdalene Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy have?

St Mary Magdalene Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy has 191 pupils on roll.

What age range does St Mary Magdalene Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy cover?

St Mary Magdalene Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are St Mary Magdalene Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 69% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is St Mary Magdalene Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy?

St Mary Magdalene Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy is at Wellfield Drive, Office 204, Burnley, Lancashire, BB12 0JD.