Magdalen Gates Primary School

About Magdalen Gates Primary School

Magdalen Gates Primary School in Norwich was rated Good in its most recent Ofsted inspection in June 2025, with inspectors awarding Good across every category: quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years provision. The school has held a Good rating consistently, with its previous inspection in 2013 also grading it Good overall. On the most informative exam metric available, 55% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths at Key Stage 2 in the 2023/24 academic year. That figure sits just above the Norfolk local authority average of 52%, placing the school in the middle of the pack locally. In the Norwich area specifically, it ranks 10th out of 22 primary schools on this measure. The school’s average reading score was 105 and maths 102, with 21% of pupils achieving the higher standard in both subjects.

The school’s Progress 8 scores are not available, but the raw attainment figures give a clear picture of where strengths lie. Reading is the standout subject: 79% of pupils reached the expected standard, well above the national benchmark, and the average scaled score of 105 is strong. Maths followed at 76% expected, while writing lagged slightly at 66%. No pupils achieved the higher standard in writing or in the combined reading, writing and maths measure, which is a notable gap. Nationally, the school sits in the bottom half of all primary schools on the combined expected standard metric, ranking 9,388th out of 13,686 schools. In the East of England region, it ranks 1,032nd out of 1,612. The school has 205 pupils on roll, close to its capacity of 210, and 25.4% are eligible for free school meals, which is above the national average.

The school is heavily oversubscribed: for 2025/26 entry, there were 82 applications for 25 places, a ratio of 3.28 applicants per place, and all 18 first-preference applicants were offered places. Facilities include a library, sports hall, playing fields, forest school, art studios and music rooms. Clubs on offer include science, art, gardening and coding, and sports range from gymnastics and athletics to football and cricket. The school has a chapel on site, which is unusual for a non-religious community school. SEND provisions cover moderate learning difficulty, speech and language needs, autistic spectrum disorder, social and emotional mental health, and physical disability. Parent View responses from 23 parents in the 2024/25 period were overwhelmingly positive: 87% would recommend the school, 95% agreed or strongly agreed their child is happy, and 100% felt their child is safe. This is a solid, well-regarded local primary that suits families seeking a Good-rated school with strong reading outcomes and a broad range of activities, though those with very high academic expectations for writing may want to look more closely at the KS2 results.

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