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The Henrietta Barnett School

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What is included in the The Henrietta Barnett School review?

Academic results & facilities
Up to date results for GCSEs, A levels, BTECs and IB; we go to places league tables can’t reach.

Pastoral care, inclusivity and discipline
From how the school reacts when something goes wrong to how they tackle thorny issues like substance abuse, consent and mental health. We check they’ve got it all covered.

Information about the head
Our unparalleled access to the head teacher means we can tell you exactly what to expect when you meet them – from leadership style right down to the décor of their study and what they’re currently reading.

Teaching and learning approaches
Detailed info on teaching styles and stand-out subjects. We observe the lessons you’ll never see on an open day.

Entrance & admissions information

Exit information - where do the children go next?

Learning support & SEN information

Arts, sports and extracurricular

Pupils & parents (what are they really like?)

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What says..

Even a mention of the word ‘discipline’ will get you a blank look among pupils (‘Why would you play up?’ one said, genuinely bemused), whilst any occasional quirkiness that’s perhaps inevitable among such an academic bunch is accepted as normal and certainly never teased. ‘A few weeks ago, a whole class came out of art with painted-on moustaches and top hats from drama – it was so HBS,’ laughed one girl. Girls are extremely bright and eager to learn, as well as both…

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  • The Henrietta Barnett School
    Central Square
    London
    NW11 7BN
  • Head: Mrs Mandy Watts - Acting Head
  • T 020 8458 8999
  • F 020 8455 8900
  • E admissions@hbschool.org.uk
  • W www.hbschool.org.uk/
  • The Henrietta Barnett School is a top state school for girls aged from 11 to 18 in London. Interested in an exclusive insight into results, pastoral care, learning style and more? Access the Henrietta Barnett School review.
  • Boarding: No
  • Local authority: Barnet
  • Pupils: 800; sixth formers: 280
  • Religion: Non-denominational
  • Open days: See website
  • Review: View The Good Schools Guide Review
  • Ofsted:
    • Latest Overall effectiveness Good 1
      • 16-19 study programmes Good 1
      • Outcomes for children and learners Good 1
      • Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Outstanding 1
      • Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good 1
      • Effectiveness of leadership and management Good 1
    • 1 Full inspection 4th May 2022
  • Ofsted report: View the Ofsted report

What the school says...

Entrance criteria as follows: Year 7 entry: the first stage is a cognitive ability entrance examination in the November before proposed entry. The second stage is a mathematics and English examination for the top performers in the first test, in the October before proposed entry. No interview. Sixth Form: based upon GCSE grades, entrants require 6 A/7-9 grades and A/7-9 grades in the subjects they intend to study. No interview.

Converted to an academy 2012.
...Read more

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School associations

State grammar school

Since 2023, Mandy Watts (acting head).

It doesn’t get more selective than this, with 3,000+ applying for 100 places. Verbal and non-verbal reasoning and English tests in September, then the top 300 are invited back for English and maths tests in October. Pupils come from 50-60 primaries. Priority to looked-after children and to those pupil premium who have been ranked in the top 300, then to girls who live within three miles.

For sixth form, approximately 600 apply for a further 55-60 places, with six grade 7s at GCSE minimum requirement, including 7s in intended A level subjects and at least grade 6s in English language and maths if these subjects aren't being taken at A level. Girls already in the school are also expected to achieve these requirements, although in reality most far exceed it.

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Please note: Independent schools frequently offer IGCSEs or other qualifications alongside or as an alternative to GCSE. The DfE does not record performance data for these exams so independent school GCSE data is frequently misleading; parents should check the results with the schools.

Who came from where

Who goes where

Special Education Needs

We have a small number of students with mild or moderate special educational needs. Our SENCo co-ordinates our response in consultation with subject staff and year co-ordinators. We work with outside agencies and get additional support where needed from the local authority. We have a few students with EHCPs. We are keen to welcome all, but limitations owing to the nature of our historic buildings could make our school currently very difficult to manage for students with significant physical disabilities. 2023 saw the opening of our brand new Health and Well-Being Hub, a converted house, nestling in the school grounds. It provides a calm and different environment for our students who require one to one counselling, sessions with the SENCO or other conversations with the pastoral team, as well as a new medical room and space for those that may need some ‘time out’ during the school day. Activities are also run in the main ‘Hub’ for small groups, such as coaching and mentoring, board games club, meditation, mindful colouring etc. It will also be the centre for our peer mentoring team of Sixth Formers to meet with younger students.

Condition Provision for in school
ASD - Autistic Spectrum Disorder Y
Aspergers Y
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorders Y
CReSTeD registered for Dyslexia
Dyscalculia
Dysgraphia
Dyslexia
Dyspraxia
English as an additional language (EAL)
Genetic
Has an entry in the Autism Services Directory
Has SEN unit or class
HI - Hearing Impairment
Hospital School
Mental health
MLD - Moderate Learning Difficulty
MSI - Multi-Sensory Impairment
Natspec Specialist Colleges
OTH - Other Difficulty/Disability
Other SpLD - Specific Learning Difficulty
PD - Physical Disability
PMLD - Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulty
SEMH - Social, Emotional and Mental Health
SLCN - Speech, Language and Communication
SLD - Severe Learning Difficulty
Special facilities for Visually Impaired
SpLD - Specific Learning Difficulty
VI - Visual Impairment

Interpreting catchment maps

The maps show in colour where the pupils at a school came from*. Red = most pupils to Blue = fewest.

Where the map is not coloured we have no record in the previous three years of any pupils being admitted from that location based on the options chosen.

For help and explanation of our catchment maps see: Catchment maps explained

Further reading

If there are more applicants to a school than it has places for, who gets in is determined by which applicants best fulfil the admissions criteria.

Admissions criteria are often complicated, and may change from year to year. The best source of information is usually the relevant local authority website, but once you have set your sights on a school it is a good idea to ask them how they see things panning out for the year that you are interested in.

Many schools admit children based on distance from the school or a fixed catchment area. For such schools, the cut-off distance will vary from year to year, especially if the school give priority to siblings, and the pattern will be of a central core with outliers (who will mostly be siblings). Schools that admit on the basis of academic or religious selection will have a much more scattered pattern.

*The coloured areas outlined in black are Census Output Areas. These are made up of a group of neighbouring postcodes, which accounts for their odd shapes. These provide an indication, but not a precise map, of the school’s catchment: always refer to local authority and school websites for precise information.

The 'hotter' the colour the more children have been admitted.

Children get into the school from here:

regularly
most years
quite often
infrequently
sometimes, but not in this year

Who came from where


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