Plan for Change in Barnet: Breaking Down Barriers to Opportunity

The national Labour Plan for Change on Breaking Down Barriers is delivering free breakfast clubs, expanded childcare, a Youth Guarantee, and a Child Poverty Strategy. In Barnet, the results of sustained investment in education, children’s services, and early years support speak for themselves — outcomes that rank among the best in the country. In Barnet, this sits alongside the Mayor of London’s Free School Meals programme, which is helping families across Barnet with the cost of living while ensuring primary school children can learn on a full stomach (Source).

Academic Excellence

Barnet’s schools are among the highest-performing in England. Academic outcomes place the borough in the top 20% nationally, with some individual measures in the top 5%, as recorded in Our Plan for Barnet Review 2025/26. More than 95% of Barnet schools are rated good or outstanding by Ofsted — a consistently high benchmark that speaks to the quality of teaching, leadership, and support across the borough.

Children’s Services: Ofsted ‘Good’

Barnet’s Children’s Services — including looked-after children, child protection, and family support — are rated ‘good’ by Ofsted, with particular recognition for care experiences and progress. This judgment covers the council’s support for some of the most vulnerable children and families in the borough, and reflects years of committed investment and improvement.

Young People: NEET Rate 0.7%

Barnet’s rate of young people not in education, employment, or training (NEET) stands at just 0.7% — placing the borough 4th out of 152 local authorities nationally. This exceptional result is the product of the council’s September Guarantee, targeted support for post-16 young people, and the broader network of employment support available to school leavers.

SEND and High Needs

The £76.54 million High Needs Block budget for 2025/26 — a 7% increase — supports children with special educational needs and disabilities across Barnet’s schools and specialist settings, as confirmed by the Schools Forum June 2025. The borough’s Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) issuance rate of 97.9% within 20 weeks is among the strongest in London, and a new Autism Hub — in partnership with Resources for Autism — is providing additional specialist support.

Early Years Investment

The Department for Education has invested £623,000 in capital funding for early years expansion in Barnet, with a further £872,000 in wraparound childcare grants and £81,000 in extended entitlement grants. Currently, 58% of Barnet primary schools offer full wraparound childcare from 8am to 6pm — giving working families the flexibility they need.

As council leader Cllr Barry Rawlings has said: “Creating better opportunities for tomorrow starts with the seeds we have planted today.”

DfE Supporting Families

Barnet achieved 689 out of 689 successful outcomes under the national Supporting Families programme — a 100% success rate, recognised in the Supporting Families Annual Report 2024–25. This whole-family approach to early intervention is helping to prevent problems before they escalate.