Friern Barnet School - proposed change to Admission Arrangements for Barnet community schools 2024/25

We asked

We asked for your views on the proposed reduction to the Published Admission Number (PAN) of Friern Barnet Secondary School, from 162 places to 150 places, on the grounds that the school has been undersubscribed for some years and the demand is unlikely to increase in the foreseeable future.

You said

We received seven responses to the online questionnaire. Three respondents strongly agreed or agreed to the proposed reduction, one neither agreed nor disagreed, one tended to disagree, and one strongly disagreed.

Respondents in favour of the proposal gave the reasons that the school has been undersubscribed for some years and the proposed reduction would enable more efficient use of resources.

The first respondent who disagreed with the proposal gave the reason that there are an increasing number of new developments within the borough, and this may place pressure on secondary schools. However, our school roll projections, which take into account estimated pupil yield from new developments, indicate that demand for secondary places in the area will decline in the coming years. In the unlikely event that a rise in demand is seen, the school will be able increase the admission number, without the need for a formal consultation. The second respondent suggested that we should look at placing some of the pupils from the heavily oversubscribed schools in the area to the undersubscribed schools. Whilst we already offer Friern Barnet places as an alternative school option to local applicants whose school preferences cannot be met, we have a statutory duty to meet parental preference where possible, and we cannot enforce admission to alternative schools.

We did

The PAN for Friern Barnet School has formerly been reduced from 162 to 150 places, with effect from 1 September 2024.