Barnet's maintained schools have achieved a significant milestone, with every school now rated as expected standard or above by Ofsted. This historic achievement was highlighted at a recent meeting of the Children and Education Overview and Scrutiny Sub-Committee, as detailed in the Educational Standards in Barnet 2025 Cover Report.

A diverse group of young people are seated on a rooftop, some interacting and others looking thoughtful, with one holding a mosaic artwork.
Barnet's young people

Councillors congratulated officers and staff for this success, while also discussing strategies to ensure schools continue to strive for improvement and avoid complacency. Barnet's school improvement team actively monitors, supports, and challenges schools to enhance their performance. A key part of this strategy involves the recruitment of headteachers to ensure the right leadership is in place. Schools are encouraged to aim beyond the expected standard, with one school expressing disappointment at not receiving any exceptional ratings during a recent inspection. The team also provides intensive support to schools identified as schools causing concern that may be at risk of a less successful Ofsted inspection.

The committee noted that under the new Ofsted framework, schools are assessed in five categories: urgent improvement, needs attention, expected standard, strong standard, and exceptional. For schools rated as 'needs attention' or 'urgent improvement', Barnet provides intensive support, prioritising those identified as being on the council's radar. The school improvement team's remit includes monitoring, supporting, and challenging all local authority maintained schools.

Bar charts and a table illustrating the number and percentage of child placements by type in Barnet for December 2024 and December 2025, under the 'Corporate Parenting' initiative.
Child placement data

The committee also discussed the availability of data, with a request for more granular breakdowns to identify when disparities emerge. Councillors specifically asked for more detailed data on phonics and early years, as well as information on children looked after, children in need, and children on child protection plans. This will help in understanding where disparities may arise for these vulnerable groups.

Bar chart showing the percentage of male and female pupils working at the expected level in phonics decoding, broken down by Free School Meal (FSM) status for Barnet and national averages.
Phonics decoding by FSM status

Barnet's achievement places it in a strong national position. While Ofsted no longer publishes comparative data between local authorities, it is understood that Barnet is in a Champions League position nationally, and likely one of only three local authorities in London to achieve this status.

Bar chart showing the percentage of male and female Barnet pupils achieving the expected standard (EXS) across subjects by disadvantage.
Barnet pupils achieving expected standard by disadvantage

The committee's focus remains on maintaining and enhancing the high standards achieved by Barnet's schools, ensuring continued progress and excellence for all pupils. The long-term goal is to move beyond the expected standard and achieve more strong and exceptional ratings across the board.

Bar chart showing the percentage of male and female Barnet pupils achieving the expected standard (EXS) across subjects, broken down by Special Educational Need Provision.
Barnet pupils achieving expected standard by SEN provision

Bar chart showing the average Attainment 8 scores for male and female pupils in Barnet and nationally, comparing disadvantaged pupils with their non-disadvantaged peers.
Average Attainment 8 scores by disadvantage

Bar chart showing Average Attainment 8 scores for male and female pupils, categorized by Special Educational Needs (SEN) provision in Barnet and nationally.
Average Attainment 8 scores by SEN provision