Magdalen Court School
Victoria Park Road, Exeter, EX2 4NUOpen in maps (opens in a new tab)
Magdalen Court School is a special school in Exeter for ages 5 to 18. It is one of the 416 schools in Devon. Its latest Ofsted rating is Requires improvement, from an inspection in October 2024.
Ofsted inspection
Inspected 8 October 2024, report published 18 November 2024
- Overall effectiveness
- Requires improvement
- Quality of education
- Requires improvement
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Requires improvement
- Personal development
- Good
- Leadership and management
- Requires improvement
- Safeguarding
- Met
What Ofsted said
From the inspection on 8 October 2024
The school's vision is that all pupils will be ready for adulthood both academically and socially. This is reflected in all that it does. More pupils are now able to move on to education or employment that is well suited to them. Many pupils have not attended school for long periods prior to starting at Magdalen Court School. Staff build warm, professional relationships with pupils. Pupils begin to enjoy school, many for the first time. Aspirations of what pupils can achieve have increased. The curriculum is well suited to pupils' needs and interests in both primary and secondary phases. There are an extensive range of qualifications and accreditations on offer for older pupils. However, the curriculum is new and not well established, so pupils do not achieve as well as they could. Most pupils have responded positively to the raised expectations that the school has of how they should behave. Lessons are typically calm and purposeful. However, when pupils do not behave well this is not consistently challenged by staff, and so persists. The extensive personal development offer prepares pupils well for the next steps in education and for adult life. Older pupils and sixth-form students undertake work experience and learn work skills.
What the school should improve
- Some staff do not have the subject knowledge they need to explain new learning clearly and to identify pupils' misconceptions. As a result, pupils do not always build their knowledge as well as they could. The school should ensure that all staff continue to develop their knowledge of all aspects of the curriculum.
- Pupils do not have enough opportunities to apply their knowledge, or revisit what they have learned before. Consequently, they are not able to deepen their knowledge or connect new learning to what they already know sufficiently well. The school should ensure that pupils securely learn the curriculum.
- The poor behaviour of some pupils is not managed effectively by some staff. This worries some pupils and interrupts their learning. The school should ensure staff apply the behaviour policy consistently so that pupils' behaviour improves.
Exam results
GCSE results (key stage 4), 2024/25
22 pupils in the year group
Pupil numbers and mix
143 pupils on roll, with places for 250
Schools near Magdalen Court School
| School | Distance | Ofsted | Results |
|---|---|---|---|
| Southbrook School | 1 mile | Ofsted judgements: Requires improvement to good | Attainment 8: 0.2 |
| Belong School Devon | 1 mile | Report card: Expected standard to strong standard | Attainment 8: 12.8 |
| Vranch House School | 1 mile | Ofsted: Outstanding | Not published |
| Barley Lane School | 2 miles | Ofsted: Requires improvement | Attainment 8: 5.4 |
| Ellen Tinkham School | 2 miles | Ofsted: Good | 0% met the expected standard |
School details
- School type
- Other independent special school
- Sector
- Independent
- Age range
- 5 to 18
- Gender
- Mixed
- Headteacher
- Ms Rowena Schofield
- Phone
- 01392494919
- Address
- Victoria Park Road, Exeter, EX2 4NU
- Local authority
- Devon
- URN
- 113623
School details from Get Information about Schools, 17 September 2026. Ofsted outcomes published to 31 August 2026. Exam results for 2024/25 from the Department for Education. Pupil mix from the school census, 2025/26.