Expanded primary schools welcome new children in Barnet

Martin, Moss Hall, Brunswick Park, Beis Yaakov and Oakleigh primary schools have all undergone extensive building work over the last year to provide permanent new classrooms to accommodate additional pupils. These expansions will create over 1,000 new permanent primary school places in the borough and form part of the council's £140 million investment strategy up to 2016/17 to provide around 4,500 new school places. Councillor Reuben Thompstone, Chairman of the Children, Education, Libraries and Safeguarding committee added: “These expansions are the result of months of painstaking planning and hard work by school staff and council officers and I am delighted to see so many new pupils enjoying their new classrooms.” Since 2010/11, the council has created around 3000 new permanent primary places in the borough with the close co-operation of head teachers, governors and parents. Christ’s College, The Compton and Copthall secondary schools have also been expanded to accommodate additional pupils.