School Places
Priority overview
Access to a local primary school has been an issue in our area for at least ten years, and FNLRA have shared that concern.
The situation now is that the new Ashmole Primary is open but appears to be taking few Enfield children and the child population continues to rise with families moving into the area and major developments nearby such as those on the North Circular. Enfield Council continue to agree that South West Enfield is now their one remaining area where more provision is needed. We are also aware of concerns at primary-secondary transfer.
We are actively reviewing the situation, to work with all parties in search of a solution. We’d welcome further comments and inputs about people’s experiences.
Overall Position
2019 admissions to primary schools for FLDRA area
Data has now been released by Enfield Council on the recent admissions round for young children starting in Reception at local primaries in September 2019. The data covers 62 of the 72 Enfield schools with no data on three local schools: St Andrews Southgate and St Pauls in Winchmore Hill, and St Monicas.
For our local schools figures are very similar to last year in terms of catchment areas.
| Distance 2019 | Refusals 2019 | Distance 2018 | |
| Bowes (PAN 60) | 0.418 miles | 32 | 0.410 |
| Hazelwood (PAN 90) | 0.358 | 71 | 0.325 |
| Highfield (PAN 90) | 0.423 | 90 | 0.843 |
| Walker (PAN 60) | 0.368 | 70 | 0.362 |
This means that the furthest new admit to Bowes lives an extra 14 yards from the school, Hazelwood 58 yards from the school and Walker a full 10.56 yards from the school gates compared to last year (Enfield still works in miles and therefore yards).
These four schools were all FULL on first choices and refusing many other first choices. Rejected 1st Choice applicants have been contacted and are on numbered waiting lists, by distance. Note that if someone nearer the school turns up and applies, they will go to a higher place on the waiting list; it’s always distance not first come first served. 367 parents put Walker as one of their three choices, in fact slightly fewer than last year.
Bowes Wilmer Way (formerly Bowes Southgate Green, still Southgate Green according to the school, no explanation of name change by the Council) and West Grove were both full but have ‘short waiting lists’. ‘A small number of places’ were still available at Garfield in Arnos Grove. Ashmole Primary Academy is in Barnet but will be massively oversubscribed again.
Comments by FLDRA:
- Local schools are all full to bursting.
- You will only get a chance at your first choice school, whichever of these schools you put 2 or 3 you won’t get because it will be full on its own first choices. The recent ‘overspill’ schools, West Grove and Southgate Green, are also full. Highfield is now very popular and hence also unavailable.
Planning for future provision
The annual report on school place planning was due in April 2019 at Cabinet but there is no sign of it. Last year it was presented in April 2018, previously it was presented in the previous October so slippage continues.
Overall Borough-wide position
Walker School redevelopment
Walker Primary School has been shortlisted for redevelopment by the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA). A design team has been appointed to prepare a scheme which improves facilities for the pupils, staff and local community via a complete rebuild of the school. It is planned that this work will be carried out after planning permission is secured later this year.
Click here to see how it will look
Richard Thompson
demand rising to 10% in 2022/23). Published School Capacity and Planning data (SCAP18) supports this and indicates there are surplus places at the borough level at present and for the
next few years. Although there is a projected shortfall of 38 places from 2022/23, the local authority’s current view is that this will be managed through bulge classes in local provision if
necessary.”