Find the best secondary schools in Barnet. Compare Ofsted ratings, catchment areas, GCSE results and Progress 8.
Barnet has 27 secondary schools, all in Barnet council's area. Most state schools here offer places by distance from home once children in care and siblings of current pupils have been admitted, so how close you live decides your chances at any school with more applicants than places. Some councils draw a fixed catchment boundary instead, and the distance at which the last place went changes every year. Of the 27, 10 are faith schools that can put children of their faith first, and 3 select by ability through the 11-plus, so distance counts for less there.
Use the distance checker to measure your home's straight-line distance to any Barnet secondary school, and each school's page for its Ofsted report, results and admissions details. Check your distance to a school or try the admissions calculator.
| School | Type | Our rating |
|---|---|---|
| St Michael's Catholic Grammar School | Roman Catholic, girls, selective, sixth form | 4.9 / 5 |
| Queen Elizabeth's School, Barnet | boys, selective, sixth form | 4.8 / 5 |
| The Totteridge Academy | sixth form | 4.6 / 5 |
| Finchley Catholic High School | Roman Catholic, boys, sixth form | 4.6 / 5 |
| Ark Pioneer Academy | sixth form | 4.5 / 5 |
| The Henrietta Barnett School | girls, selective, sixth form | 4.5 / 5 |
| Wren Academy Finchley | Church of England, all-through, sixth form | 4.4 / 5 |
| Ashmole Academy | sixth form |
There are 27 secondary schools in Barnet. Of those, 3 are all-through schools, teaching both primary and secondary years.
Apply by 31 October in your child's Year 6, for a place starting the following September. You apply to the council where you live, even if the school is in another council's area, and can usually list between 3 and 6 schools in order of preference. Offers are sent on 1 March, or the next working day.
Yes, 3 secondary schools in Barnet select pupils by ability: The Henrietta Barnett School, Queen Elizabeth's School, Barnet and St Michael's Catholic Grammar School. Entry is by the 11-plus, usually sat in September of Year 6. You register for the test separately, normally in the summer term of Year 5, and still name the school on your council application by 31 October.
Of the 27 secondary schools in Barnet, 23 have a sixth form. Students at a school that stops at 16 apply separately for sixth form, either at another school or at a college.
Of the 27 secondary schools in Barnet, 10 have a religious character: 4 Roman Catholic, 3 Jewish, 2 Church of England and 1 Greek Orthodox. When a faith school has more applicants than places, it can give priority to children of its faith. Many ask for a supplementary form, sometimes signed by a religious leader, so read the school's admissions policy before you apply.
| 4.3 / 5 |
| JCoSS | Jewish, sixth form | 4.3 / 5 |
| Hasmonean High School for Girls | Jewish, girls | 4.3 / 5 |
| The Archer Academy | Mixed | 4.2 / 5 |
| Queen Elizabeth's Girls' School | girls, sixth form | 4.1 / 5 |
| Mill Hill County High School | sixth form | 4.1 / 5 |
| East Barnet School | sixth form | 4.1 / 5 |
| Christ's College Finchley | sixth form | 4.0 / 5 |
| Hasmonean High School for Boys | Jewish, boys, sixth form | 3.9 / 5 |
| St Andrew the Apostle Greek Orthodox School | Greek Orthodox, sixth form | 3.9 / 5 |
| The Compton School | sixth form | 3.9 / 5 |
| London Academy | all-through, sixth form | 3.9 / 5 |
| Bishop Douglass School Finchley | Roman Catholic, sixth form | 3.8 / 5 |
| Saracens High School | Mixed | 3.8 / 5 |
| St James' Catholic High School | Roman Catholic, sixth form | 3.8 / 5 |
| Hendon School | sixth form | 3.5 / 5 |
| Friern Barnet School | Mixed | 3.3 / 5 |
| Copthall School | girls, sixth form | 3.1 / 5 |
| Clarion | sixth form | 3.0 / 5 |
| St Mary's and St John's CofE School | Church of England, all-through, sixth form | Not yet rated |
Our rating is out of 5 and combines Parent View survey results, the latest Ofsted inspection and published results. Source: Department for Education (GIAS) and Ofsted.
On our star rating, the highest rated are St Michael's Catholic Grammar School (4.9), Queen Elizabeth's School, Barnet (4.8), The Totteridge Academy (4.6), Finchley Catholic High School (4.6) and Ark Pioneer Academy (4.5). The rating is our own, out of 5. It combines Parent View survey results, the latest Ofsted inspection and GCSE results, with the parent survey carrying the most weight. Of the 27 schools here, 26 have enough published data for a rating.
Only when you qualify for more than one school. Each school ranks applicants against its own admission criteria without knowing where you placed it. If you qualify for several, the council offers the one you ranked highest, so putting a popular school first does not lower your chances at your second choice.
No. Distance only matters when a school has more applicants than places, and then it offers places in the order its admission criteria set out. Children in care or adopted from care come first by law. Most schools put brothers and sisters of current pupils next, then distance or catchment area. Faith schools and grammar schools use different criteria. How far away the last place went changes every year, depending on who applies.
The council offers a place at another school with room, which may be further from home. You can accept it and still join the waiting lists for the schools you preferred. Waiting lists are ranked by the admission criteria, not by how long a child has been on them. You can also appeal to an independent panel for any school that refused you.