Barnet and Southgate College

About Barnet and Southgate College

Barnet and Southgate College is a 16-99 state secondary in the London borough of Barnet, and its headline Progress 8 score of -1.59 sits well below the local authority average of 0.6. That gap is significant: the LA average is positive and strong, while the college’s score is negative and places it 28th out of 28 schools in Barnet, in the bottom 50% nationally. The school’s Progress 8 banding is officially rated as “Well below average,” and its Attainment 8 score is just 0.6, compared with a typical LA school that would be scoring much higher. No pupils entered the EBacc, and the basics measure (grade 5 or above in English and maths) sits at 0%. These figures suggest the college serves a cohort with very different starting points from the LA norm, and the outcomes reflect that challenge rather than a straightforward comparison with local peers.

The most recent Ofsted inspection, an ungraded visit in February 2024, confirmed the school remains Good, a rating it has held since its previous graded inspection in March 2015. The inspection team judged leadership and management, early years provision, and overall effectiveness all as Good (grade 2). The school’s Progress 8 breakdown shows particularly low scores in English (-1.97) and open subjects (-1.81), with maths slightly less negative at -1.04. The confidence interval for Progress 8 ranges from -2.28 to -0.89, meaning the true score could be even lower or slightly higher, but still firmly negative. With 51.7% of pupils eligible for free school meals, the college clearly works with a high-needs intake, and the Ofsted team evidently felt the school provides a good standard of education despite the academic headline figures.

Facilities include music rooms, art studios, a gymnasium, astro turf, tennis courts, an ICT suite, library, dining hall, playing fields, and a chapel. Sports on offer range from rugby and rowing to badminton, football, hockey, swimming, tennis, and basketball, and there is a broad club programme covering newspaper, debate, choir, gardening, art, drama, orchestra, and Young Enterprise. The school’s SEND provisions cover specific learning difficulties (dyslexia), moderate and severe learning difficulties, and social, emotional and mental health needs. With a capacity of just 164 and an age range from 16 to 99, this is a small, non-selective college that suits students who may not have thrived in a mainstream secondary setting, particularly those who need additional support or a fresh start post-16. It is not a boarding school and has no official sixth form or nursery provision.

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