SchoolFacts.uk

Watling Park School

Primary · Barnet · HA8 9YA

Data updated

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Good

Earlier grade, confirmed by a later ungraded inspection

Ofsted's most recent (ungraded) visit confirmed the school remains Good. Ungraded inspections do not award a new grade.

Inspected 28 June 2023

Read the Ofsted report ↗

At a glance

400 pupils · 95% of 420 capacity (January 2026 census)

School type
Free schools
Age range
4–11
Gender
Mixed
Free school meals
50.2% of pupils (January 2026)
English as additional language
81.7% of pupils (2024/2025)
SEN support
11.4% of pupils (2024/2025)
EHC plan
3.7% of pupils (2024/2025)
Website
www.watlingparkschool.org.uk
URN
142114

In figures

For September 2026 entry, 39 families named it first for 43 Reception places, 0.91 first choices per place. We hold 8 Reception admissions rounds for it, 2018 to 2026; none was decided by a published distance. An ungraded Ofsted inspection on 28 June 2023 confirmed its earlier grade, Good. In the 2025/26 autumn and spring terms its pupils missed 5.2% of sessions, against 6.6% across England.

Admissions demand: Reception entry, September 2026

0.91 first-choice applications per place

43 places offered · 39 first-choice applications · roughly balanced

First-choice applications per place, by entry year

19/20
20/21
21/22
22/23
23/24
24/25
25/26
26/27

Source: DfE applications and offers on national offer day · how demand is measured

Catchment area

Catchment area: not named in the council's figures. The council did not publish a cutoff distance for 2026 entry.

Admissions cutoff distance: Reception

The council did not publish a cutoff distance for 2026 entry.

Source: the admissions authority's published figures · how cutoffs work

Key stage 2 results (2024/2025)

56 pupils at the end of key stage 2 in 2024/2025

Reaching the expected standard in reading, writing & maths
55%
England 62%
Reaching the higher standard
7%
England 8%
Average scaled score (reading)
106
England 106
Average scaled score (maths)
102
England 105

Source: DfE performance tables 2024/2025 · what “suppressed” means

Schools with a similar intake

Meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths, 2024/2025

This school55%
Median of its 12 closest peers59.5%
Barnet average73%
England62%

On meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths, this school is behind the schools that teach a comparable intake.

They are matched on intake, not location, so most are not local: see nearby schools for those you could apply to.

SchoolOfstedResult
St John's CofE Primary SchoolManchester · 152 miles awayGood65%
Minet Junior SchoolHayes · 9 miles awayGood (2015)76%
Alexandra Park Junior SchoolOldham · 154 miles awayRequires improvement43%
Crumpsall Lane Primary SchoolManchester · 156 miles awayGood60%
Galton Valley Primary SchoolSmethwick · 95 miles awayGood71%
Earlham Primary SchoolLondon · 13 miles awayOutstanding84%
Broadfield Community Primary SchoolRochdale · 160 miles awayGood45%
Wingrove Primary SchoolNewcastle-upon-Tyne · 240 miles awayExpected standard59%
St Matthew's CofE Primary School, BoltonBolton · 164 miles awayGood47%
Cayley Primary SchoolLondon · 12 miles awayExpected standard70%
Acton Gardens Primary SchoolLondon · 7 miles awayGood35%
St Mark's CofE Primary SchoolStoke-on-Trent · 127 miles awayRequires improvement44%

It is not a ranking. Source: DfE performance tables 2024/2025 · how the matching works

Pupils by ethnicity (January 2026)

Any other White background 30% (Barnet 24%, England 7%) · Any other ethnic group 23% (Barnet 13%, England 3%) · Black African 12% (Barnet 7%, England 5%) · Any other Mixed background 7% (Barnet 6%, England 3%) · Asian Indian 6% (Barnet 4%, England 4%) · White British 4% (Barnet 26%, England 60%) · Black Caribbean 3% (Barnet 1%, England 1%) · Any other Asian background 2% (Barnet 5%, England 2%) · Asian Pakistani 2% (Barnet 2%, England 5%) · Mixed White and Asian 2% (Barnet 3%, England 2%) · Asian Chinese 2% (Barnet 2%, England 1%) · Mixed White and Black Caribbean 2% (Barnet 2%, England 2%) · Asian Bangladeshi 1% (Barnet 1%, England 2%) · Any other Black background 1% (Barnet 1%, England 1%) · Mixed White and Black African 1% (Barnet 2%, England 1%) · Not recorded 1% (Barnet 3%, England 1%)

Source: DfE schools, pupils and their characteristics, January 2026 census · how to read these figures

Attendance (2025/26 autumn and spring terms)

Sessions missed (overall absence)
5.2%
England 6.6%
Pupils missing 10%+ of sessions (persistent absence)
13.3%
England 17.5%

Suspensions and permanent exclusions (2024/25)

4.46 suspensions per 100 pupils and 1 permanent exclusion · England, primary schools: 2.47 suspensions and 0.03 permanent exclusions per 100 pupils · Barnet: 0.85 suspensions and 0.00 permanent exclusions per 100 pupils

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Source: DfE pupil absence data, autumn and spring terms, and DfE suspensions and permanent exclusions, school-level file · how absence is measured · how to read exclusions

Staffing

Pupils per qualified teacher
25
England 18.5

Full-time-equivalent, 2025/26.

Teacher retention (2024/25)

52% of teachers stayed at the school the following year · 20% moved to another state school · 27% left the state-funded sector

Vacancies (November 2025)

0% of teaching posts vacant, 0% filled temporarily · England, primary academies: 0.3% vacant, 0.32% temporary

Teacher sickness absence (reported in the November 2024 census)

52.4% of teachers took sickness absence, 4.6 days each on average · England, all state-funded schools: 61.8%, 8.1 days

Teacher pay (November 2025)

Mean salary of full-time qualified teachers £47,003; 25% on the leadership pay range · England, primary schools: £50,856, 17.3%

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Source: DfE School Workforce Census · how these figures are counted

Spending per pupil (2024-25)

This school£7,931
Typical primary school£7,202

Where the money went (2024-25)

Share of spending, with the median for primary schools in brackets: Staff 79% (77%) · premises 4% (5%) · occupation (energy, rates, cleaning) 8% (8%) · supplies and services 8% (9%) · educational supplies 4% (4%) · bought-in professional services 2% (2%) · catering 5% (5%)

Reserves (2024-25)

Revenue reserve £533,000; in-year balance +£239,000

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Higher spending is not a measure of quality. Source: academy finance return, 2024-25, DfE · how spending is compared

Inspection history since 2015

Source: Ofsted management information · ungraded visits and the two inspection systems

The area around the school

Child poverty (IDACI)
3/10more deprived than most of England
Overall deprivation (IMD)
3/10more deprived than most of England
Census 2021This areaEngland
Adults with a degree or higher36.9%33.9%
Adults with no qualifications22.3%18.1%
In managerial or professional work20.8%33.2%
Households deprived in two or more ways26.3%18.1%
Residents in very good health50.6%48.5%
Homes owned by the occupier39.5%62.3%
Social housing28.5%17.1%
Privately rented31.8%20.5%
Detached houses3.6%22.9%
Flats29.9%22.2%
Homes with four or more bedrooms8.9%21.1%
Households with no car or van36.2%23.5%

These figures describe the area, not the pupils. Source: Census 2021 (ONS) and English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG) for small area E01000134 · how to read area figures

What homes cost nearby

Median sale price
£490,000331 sales within 1 km, January 2024 to September 2026
Typical range
£376,000–£625,000the middle half of sales
England median
£300,000all sales over the same period
Detached (9)£630,000
Semi-detached (137)£610,000
Terraced (108)£450,000
Flat (77)£282,500

Homes around this school are dearer than three quarters of school neighbourhoods in England, comparing the median within 1 km across every state school.

Source: HM Land Registry sales within 1 km since January 2024 · how sales are counted. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. This data is licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Postcodes located with OS Code-Point Open: contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026; contains Royal Mail data © Royal Mail copyright and database right 2026; contains National Statistics data © Crown copyright and database right 2026.

Roads around the school

Child pedestrian casualties
3an urban school averages 2.0
Collisions at school-run times
5an urban school averages 5.7
All reported collisions
57an urban school averages 30.5
Of those, serious or fatal
8an urban school averages 6.1

A high count usually reflects traffic, not an unsafe school. Source: DfT road casualty statistics (STATS19), collisions within 500 m, 2021–2025 · what is counted

Nearby schools