We asked, you said, we did

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We asked

We asked young people for their views on several topics to help us unpack key findings from the young person survey (YPS) 2021-222. Topics covered included learning more about young people’s experiences of living in Barnet, their satisfaction with the local area, if they felt Barnet is a Family Friendly borough, understanding and exploring: their top three concerns: feeling safe in the borough; their top personal safety concerns and their health and well-being.

You said

Six workshops were delivered in July with 63 young people across the borough participating. Young people provided useful insights on what they like about the borough, voiced their concerns while exploring the potential reasons behind the YPS results. The importance of raising greater awareness of services and building relationships with young people was highlighted in all sessions.

We did

We analysed the insights gathered from the workshops and shared key findings with relevant stakeholders. This report was also presented to the Barnet Children’s Partnership Board in November 2022, and included the following recommendations:

Adopt a holistic approach to deepen understanding: as there are many perspectives on the reasons behind the YPS results, the findings from this engagement should be contextualised and considered with other insights to drive improvements. Focus areas to include, but not limited to:

• supporting schools to effectively deal with sensitive issues such as racism and homophobia
• improving understanding of different types of disabilities and mental health issues to foster greater empathy
• enhancing relationship with Barnet Carers Centre to ensure the views and experiences of young carers inform service improvements.
• identifying ways to raise greater awareness of what the council does to support Barnet residents, especially young people.

Share and incorporate findings to improve services: ensure that findings from this research are presented at relevant meetings or boards (for example, the Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) Partnership Board) and incorporated into the development of the Children and Young People’s Plan.

Work is underway to incorporate the recommendations to improve the lives of children and young people in the borough.

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We asked

We asked for your views on our proposals to expand SEN provision in Barnet through the opening of an Additional Resourced Provision (ARP) for secondary aged children with learning and cognition needs at Friern Barnet School.

You said

We received four responses to the online questionnaire. All of the respondents said they either agree with the proposal or did not disagree. Respondents agreed on the basis of the following:

• acknowledged the need for additional SEND specialist places in Barnet and the benefit to Barnet children
• acknowledged the need for additional secondary specialist places in Barnet
• Acknowledged the need for greater choice of specialist provision

Additionally, you asked would the provision be teacher led and will there be appropriately qualified specialist teachers?

We did

The school has recruited a qualified teacher to lead the ARP provision, who will work alongside the school Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCo). Support for meeting the needs of the students will be matched to the different needs of the students admitted. All mainstream schools are able to meet the needs of children with specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia. The pupils who will be admitted to the ARP provision will have more complex learning and cognition needs. Oak Lodge special school have provided buddying support in assisting the school in preparing to meet the needs of the students admitted.

We decided to proceed with the opening of the Friern Barnet ARP provision and the first cohort of children were admitted into Year 7 in September 2022. Cohorts will be introduced at the start of each new academic year until 2026 when the ARP will be able to take its full capacity.

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We asked

We asked for your views on the Barnet Special Educational Needs Places Plan 2021/22.

We asked you to comment on the proposal to maintain the same balance of provision for children and young people with special educational needs with Education, Health and Care Plans across mainstream schools, Additional Resource Provisions (ARPs) and Special Schools?

You said

We received 48 responses to the online questionnaire.

• 58% agreed that we should maintain the same balance of provision across mainstream schools, ARPs and special schools.
• 98% agreed with the proposal to offer more high-quality specialist places (ARPs and special school places) locally in Barnet.
• 78% agreed with our proposals to deliver extra specialist SEN places in Barnet.
• 88% agreed with our proposals for allocating the Special Provision Fund to the projects outlined in the Plan.

Responses were provided with the following issues noted:

• acknowledged the increase in the numbers of children with SEND
• acknowledged that parental preference should guide provision
• acknowledged the need for additional specialist places in Barnet
• acknowledged the need for specialist provision to be developed in Barnet to enable children to attend school locally in their own area
• acknowledged the need for additional provision for secondary aged pupils
• acknowledged the need for greater choice of specialist provision
• acknowledged the need for additional provision for children with Autism
• concern that the need for provision for children with Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH) needs is being overlooked.
• concern that the provision being proposed is not evenly spread across the borough which will impact on transport.

We did

We expanded Northway School on 6 September 2022 to reassure them that the building works were completed, and the school was fully operational for the start of term.

We opened an ARP provision at Friern Barnet School for secondary aged children with Learning and Cognition Needs. The first cohort of children were admitted into Year 7 in September 2022. Cohorts will be introduced at the start of each new academic year until 2026 when the ARP will be able to take its full capacity.

The Windmill School is planned to open in academic year 2023/24. This is a special school which will meet the needs of children with Autism who are unable to access a mainstream school environment even with an ARP provision but do not require a special school placement for significant learning and cognition needs associated with their autism.

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We asked

We asked for your views on how we address sustainability across Barnet and help shape our strategy for the borough.

You said

162 people attended the 11 workshops throughout March 2022. Eighteen key recommendations were made in the workshops over five themes:

• Homes and buildings
• Transportation
• Green skills, circular economy, and promoting recycling and reuse
• Natural environment and water management
• Council operations

We did

These are now being assessed alongside other actions already identified and will feed into the Climate Action Plan which is due to be published in November 2022. A link to our action plan will be made available when it is published.

We have recently commissioned TPXimpact to work with us on delivering a Citizens' Assembly on Climate Change and Biodiversity. This is another opportunity to have your voice heard on sustainability, more information on how to get involved will be available on Engage Barnet soon.

Since these workshops took place, we have declared a climate and biodiversity emergency and increased the ambition of the council's net zero targets for 2042 as a borough and by 2030 as an organisation. We have also joined London's anti-idling campaign, committing us to improving Barnet's air quality.

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We asked

We asked for your views on our proposals to expand Northway Special School through the creation of an annex on the Grasvenor Infant School site.

You said

We received 47 responses to the online questionnaire. 70% of respondents said they agree with the proposal to expand Northway School on the basis that the expansion of specialist placements:

• acknowledged the need for additional SEND specialist places in Barnet and the benefit to Barnet children
• acknowledged the need for additional secondary specialist places in Barnet
• recognised the expertise of the specialist staff at Northway School
• recognised the benefit to the borough of retaining Grasvenor site as a school.

30% said they disagree with the proposal and some of the following factors were cited as reasons why they had concerns:

• concerns about the increased traffic to the school site
• concerns about the need for more experience of teaching secondary age pupils
• concerns about having secondary aged pupils in a school alongside a primary school
• concerns for the Key Stage 1 children already attending Northway school who will have to move to a different site.

We did

We decided to proceed with the expansion of Northway School and are responding to the feedback given as follows:

• concerns about the increased traffic to the school site
• our response: the transport department is working closely with the school to ensure that the number of additional vehicles going to the site will be kept to a minimum

• concerns about the need for more experience of teaching secondary age pupils
• our response: Northway School is employing teaching staff with experience of teaching secondary age pupils

• concerns about having secondary aged pupils in a school alongside a primary school
• our response: whilst acknowledging this concern, there are a number of schools in Barnet that already admit both primary and secondary aged pupils

• concerns for the Key Stage 1 children already attending Northway school who will have to move to a different site.
• our response: whilst acknowledging this concern, the transition for children moving to the new school site was well prepared for. Northway staff reported at the start of term that the children had settled well into their new environment and were enjoying being in school

The expansion was completed by the start of the autumn term 2022. We emailed parents of children at Northway School on 6 September 2022 to reassure them that the building works were completed, and the school was fully operational for the start of term.

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We asked

We asked for your views on our budget proposals for 2022/23.

You said

There were 81 respondents to the consultation. 54% either directly supported the budget proposals (33%) or were neutral (21%). Out of the 81 respondents, 48 responded on the proposed Council Tax increase for 2021/22. Overall, just under half of respondents (46%, 30 out of 81 respondents) support both an increase in general Council Tax (either 1% or up to 1.99%) and the proposal to apply a further 1% Adult Social Care Precept increase.

You can read the full results of the consultation here.

We did

The findings from the consultation were reported to Policy and Resources Committee on 9 February 2022 and will the 2022/23 budget was approved by Full Council on 1 March 2022.

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We asked

We asked you about your views on the proposed Sustainable Drainage Scheme (SuDS) / flood storage detention basin in the north-eastern corner of Halliwick Recreation Ground which aims to store storm water during heavy rain reducing the risk of flooding to nearby properties and highways. We also asked local residents to inform us of their past flooding experiences. The aim was to capture early feedback from residents to inform the detailed design of the scheme ahead of detailed design and construction.

You said

There were 17 responses to the online questionnaire. You told us the road locations and addresses that have experienced flooding and provided details about which areas of your properties have been affected.

Results of the survey showed us that support for the SuDS proposals was high at 94% (56% strongly support the scheme and 38% tending to support the scheme).

The majority of respondents agreed that the proposal will bring benefits to properties and infrastructure, the environment and local community. Several respondents asked for further engagement and education to understand the benefits fully.

We did

The survey has enabled the project team to consider feedback from the community and gather preliminary data about:

• How respondents are connected to the local area – living or working in the area and duration.
• Frequency of property flooding from rainfall runoff and extent of flooding.
• Specific locations where flooding is taking place.
• Local knowledge regarding sewage, access to key infrastructure and ability of highway gullies to cope with heavy rainfall.
• People’s views on the SuDS scheme and levels of support.
• Demographic data of those affected.

We have taken on board your feedback and will use this when developing the final designs for the SuDS. We will also be delivering several consultation sessions across Winter 2022/2023 at Halliwick Recreation Ground to continue engage with local residents and provide further information about the scheme. These sessions will be promoted locally.

A full summary of the survey results can be found here.

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We asked

We asked you what you thought about the new designs for Clitterhouse Playing Fields, which is due to be regenerated through the Brent Cross Town development. We shared how we had responded to your comments from our first round of consultation in October 2021, such as the inclusion of a café and changing facilities within the pavilion. Through the consultation we also asked you about what kind of things would support and encourage you in participating in sport and physical activity more often.

We asked you

• how you use the playing fields and whether providing new facilities for sports, play and wellbeing would represent an improvement to what exists at the moment
• what facilities you would use, such as an all-wheel park, basketball courts, and all-weather pitches for football, and hockey
• we asked you whether you liked the design of the playing fields, and how we could make it more accessible for all members of the community
• we asked you about the landscape and ecology of the playing fields.
• we asked you how you would like dogs to use the playing fields

You said

You told us that you liked the updated proposals for Clitterhouse Playing Fields. The type of activities which you supported included the outdoor gym, playgrounds, wildflower areas, café, and seating/picnic areas. You were supportive of the inclusion of space for community events to be held in such as the amphitheatre, as well as the continuation of existing community activities. You were supportive of the mix of facilities for wellbeing, sport, physical activity, and play, to ensure that people can relax in open spaces as well as engage in sport.

You shared views about how the park would operate once open, referencing safety and security, maintenance, and the affordability of using the facilities proposed for sports and play. From this feedback it was clear that affordability and accessibility were important to respondents, ensuring Clitterhouse Playing Fields is a place which is suitable for people of all ages, ability, and interests.

We did

We have taken on board your feedback and developed the final designs for the playing fields which consider comments from both our first and second rounds of consultation. We look forward to sharing these proposals with you and expand on how we are ensuring the playing fields can be safe, well-maintained, and affordable at our public consultation in Summer 2022.

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We asked

We asked you about how you currently use and interact with Clitterhouse Playing Fields, which are due to be regenerated through the Brent Cross Town development, and how you would like to see them change in the future. Through the consultation we also asked you, among other things about your current opinion of the playing fields, how frequently you visit them, from which entrance you access them, and how much you enjoy using the space and for what activities.

We asked you:

• how you currently use the playing fields & what your current perceptions of them were
• what improvements you thought could be made to them
• we asked you what features would be important for you in the redevelopment of the space, and what type of experience you would like to have there.

You said

You told us that you use the Playing Fields regularly, all year round. The types of activities which you enjoyed doing at Clitterhouse Playing Fields tended to be more informal activities such as walking or going for a run. You also told us that you enjoy the openness of the playing fields, however you also told us that you would like to see more facilities available too, and that if more facilities were availability, you would be encouraged to take part in more sport.

You told us that it is important to you that the Playing Fields are safe and welcoming to all users, as well as being well maintained and litter free. From the responses it was clear that the space should be suitable for all ages, provide interaction with nature as well as being a place where you can go to relax with friends.

We did

We have taken onboard your feedback and developed the emerging design for the playing fields to respond to your concerns and recommendations. We look forward to hearing your feedback on our proposals which will be out for public consultation in March 2022.

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We asked

We asked for your views on proposals to implement a School Streets Scheme enforced by Automatic Number Plate Reading (ANPR) cameras at St Agnes Catholic Primary School. This was in response to requests for a School Street Scheme to deal with traffic congestion around the school entrances.

You said

We distributed 269 letters to the area around the school asking for views on our proposals. We received 32 responses to the consultation, with an overall 66% rate of support for the proposal, with 25% of respondents opposing the scheme.

We did

We took all the feedback into consideration and a Chief Officer’s Decision was made to proceed with the implementation of the School Street Scheme at St Agnes Catholic Primary School. The scheme was completed in spring 2022 and is currently in place. You can read more about the results of the consultation. You can read more about how the School Street will operate.