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Magdalen College School

Secondary · Brackley · NN13 6FB

Data updated

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Special measures

Ofsted category of concern

A formal designation, not a grade. It stands until a later inspection lifts it.

Quality of education: InadequateBehaviour & attitudes: InadequatePersonal development: Requires improvementLeadership & management: InadequateSafeguarding effective: No

Inspected 23 April 2025

Read the Ofsted report ↗

At a glance

1,293 pupils · 86% of 1,500 capacity (January 2026 census)

School type
Academy converter
Age range
11–18
Gender
Mixed
Admissions
Non-selective
Free school meals
10.5% of pupils (January 2026)
English as additional language
2.7% of pupils (2024/2025)
SEN support
9.5% of pupils (2024/2025)
EHC plan
2.1% of pupils (2024/2025)
Sixth form
Yes
Website
http://www.magdalen.northants.sch.uk/
URN
139158

In figures

For September 2026 entry, 173 families named it first for 211 Year 7 places, 0.82 first choices per place. At its inspection on 23 April 2025 Ofsted placed it in a category of concern (Special measures). In the 2025/26 autumn and spring terms its pupils missed 8.6% of sessions, against 6.6% across England.

Admissions demand: Year 7 entry, September 2026

0.82 first-choice applications per place

211 places offered · 173 first-choice applications · usually has places

First-choice applications per place, by entry year

19/20
20/21
21/22
22/23
23/24
24/25
25/26
26/27

Source: DfE applications and offers on national offer day · how demand is measured

GCSE results (2024/2025)

219 pupils at the end of key stage 4 in 2024/2025

Attainment 8 score
44.2
England 46.1
Grade 4 or above in English & maths GCSEs
62.6%
England 64.8%
Grade 5 or above in English & maths GCSEs
32.4%
England 45.4%
EBacc average point score
3.8
England 4.1

Progress 8 is suspended nationally for 2024/25 and 2025/26. These cohorts sat no key stage 2 tests (COVID), so there is no baseline to measure progress from.

A-level results (2024/2025)

A-level points per entry (England: 35 ≈ B-) C
29.6
England 35

Source: DfE performance tables 2024/2025 · what “suppressed” means

Schools with a similar intake

Attainment 8, 2024/2025

This school44.2
Median of its 12 closest peers51.5
West Northamptonshire average45.4
England46.1

On attainment 8, this school is behind the schools that teach a comparable intake.

They are matched on intake, not location, so most are not local: see nearby schools for those you could apply to.

SchoolOfstedAttainment 8
Lutterworth CollegeLutterworth · 30 miles awayGood48.7
Keswick SchoolKeswick · 196 miles awayOutstanding52.1
Ribblesdale SchoolClitheroe · 137 miles awayGood43.5
The Petersfield SchoolPetersfield · 72 miles awayOutstanding56.4
Midhurst Rother CollegeMidhurst · 74 miles awayOutstanding48.8
Holmfirth High SchoolHolmfirth · 110 miles awayOutstanding58.6
Brockington CollegeLeicester · 39 miles awayRequires improvement46.8
Saint Michael's Catholic High SchoolWatford · 40 miles awayGood50.9
King Edward VI SchoolLichfield · 53 miles awayGood52.2
Davenant Foundation SchoolLoughton · 58 miles awayStrong standard56.7
St Bede's Catholic School and Sixth Form College, LanchesterDurham · 195 miles awayExpected standard44.9
Burford SchoolBurford · 26 miles awayGood52.4

It is not a ranking. Source: DfE performance tables 2024/2025 · how the matching works

Pupils by ethnicity (January 2026)

White British 86% (West Northamptonshire 60%, England 59%) · Any other White background 4% (West Northamptonshire 12%, England 7%) · Any other Asian background 2% (West Northamptonshire 2%, England 3%) · Mixed White and Asian 2% (West Northamptonshire 1%, England 2%) · Any other Mixed background 1% (West Northamptonshire 3%, England 3%) · Mixed White and Black African 1% (West Northamptonshire 1%, England 1%) · Asian Chinese 1% (West Northamptonshire 1%, England 1%) · other groups together 3%

Source: DfE schools, pupils and their characteristics, January 2026 census · how to read these figures

Attendance (2025/26 autumn and spring terms)

Sessions missed (overall absence)
8.6%
England 6.6%
Pupils missing 10%+ of sessions (persistent absence)
19.6%
England 17.5%

Suspensions and permanent exclusions (2024/25)

10.82 suspensions per 100 pupils and 2 permanent exclusions · England, secondary schools: 21.24 suspensions and 0.23 permanent exclusions per 100 pupils · West Northamptonshire: 21.53 suspensions and 0.18 permanent exclusions per 100 pupils

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Source: DfE pupil absence data, autumn and spring terms, and DfE suspensions and permanent exclusions, school-level file · how absence is measured · how to read exclusions

Staffing

Pupils per qualified teacher
18.1
England 18.5

Full-time-equivalent, 2025/26.

Teacher retention (2024/25)

77% of teachers stayed at the school the following year · 8% moved to another state school · 15% left the state-funded sector

Vacancies (November 2025)

0% of teaching posts vacant, 1.35% filled temporarily · England, secondary academies: 0.45% vacant, 0.33% temporary

Teacher sickness absence (reported in the November 2024 census)

70% of teachers took sickness absence, 10.7 days each on average · England, all state-funded schools: 61.8%, 8.1 days

Teacher pay (November 2025)

Mean salary of full-time qualified teachers £50,510; 7.7% on the leadership pay range · England, secondary schools: £53,766, 11.3%

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Source: DfE School Workforce Census · how these figures are counted

Spending per pupil (2024-25)

This school£7,075
Typical secondary school£7,846

Where the money went (2024-25)

Share of spending, with the median for secondary schools in brackets: Staff 78% (77%) · premises 8% (5%) · occupation (energy, rates, cleaning) 2% (6%) · supplies and services 12% (11%) · educational supplies 11% (6%) · bought-in professional services 1% (1%) · catering 0% (3%)

Reserves (2024-25)

Revenue reserve £876,000; in-year balance -£22,000

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Higher spending is not a measure of quality. Source: academy finance return, 2024-25, DfE · how spending is compared

Where pupils go after GCSEs

In sustained education, work or training
95%
Continuing in education
87%
Apprenticeship
4%
Employment
4%

Where students go after sixth form

To university / higher education
52%
Apprenticeship
2%
Employment
37%
Any sustained destination
93%

Destinations measured the year after leaving, DfE destination measures in the 2024/2025 performance tables.

Inspection history since 2015

Source: Ofsted management information · ungraded visits and the two inspection systems

The area around the school

Child poverty (IDACI)
5/10around the middle for England
Overall deprivation (IMD)
5/10around the middle for England
Census 2021This areaEngland
Adults with a degree or higher25.9%33.9%
Adults with no qualifications22.2%18.1%
In managerial or professional work27.3%33.2%
Households deprived in two or more ways19.8%18.1%
Residents in very good health43.7%48.5%
Homes owned by the occupier47.5%62.3%
Social housing31%17.1%
Privately rented21.6%20.5%
Detached houses11.8%22.9%
Flats42.5%22.2%
Homes with four or more bedrooms9.1%21.1%
Households with no car or van25.3%23.5%

These figures describe the area, not the pupils. Source: Census 2021 (ONS) and English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG) for small area E01027269 · how to read area figures

What homes cost nearby

Median sale price
£300,000495 sales within 1 km, January 2024 to September 2026
Typical range
£250,000–£369,000the middle half of sales
England median
£300,000all sales over the same period
Detached (121)£425,000
Semi-detached (161)£302,000
Terraced (124)£263,000
Flat (89)£182,500

Homes around this school are dearer than most school neighbourhoods in England, comparing the median within 1 km across every state school.

Source: HM Land Registry sales within 1 km since January 2024 · how sales are counted. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. This data is licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Postcodes located with OS Code-Point Open: contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026; contains Royal Mail data © Royal Mail copyright and database right 2026; contains National Statistics data © Crown copyright and database right 2026.

Roads around the school

Child pedestrian casualties
2an urban school averages 2.0
Collisions at school-run times
4an urban school averages 5.7
All reported collisions
15an urban school averages 30.5
Of those, serious or fatal
2an urban school averages 6.1

A high count usually reflects traffic, not an unsafe school. Source: DfT road casualty statistics (STATS19), collisions within 500 m, 2021–2025 · what is counted

Nearby schools