Local area: Whetstone East
Local authority: Barnet
Whetstone East in Barnet Early years summary
Summary
Whetstone East (E02000034) is part of Barnet local authority (view on map). Whetstone East has an approximate population of 9,100 people, of which 6.8% are children 5 years old and under. It is classified as "urban: nearer to a major town or city".
Whetstone East neighbours Oakleigh Park, Brunswick Park Road, Woodside Park, Friern Barnet, and North Finchley.
Headlines for early years in Barnet
The data below is only available at local authority level
- In Barnet, 78% of the funded places for 3-year-olds have been taken up, which is lower than the national at 88%. This places it among the bottom 10% of areas
- In Barnet, 81% of the funded places for 4-year-olds have been taken up, which is lower than the national at 92%. This places it among the bottom 10% of areas
- The children’s overweight and obesity measure is 19% in Barnet compared with 24% nationally. This places it among the bottom 10% of areas with children who are overweight or obese
Guidance and data sources
Local area pages are based on the middle-layer super output areas (MSOAs) distributed across the country. MSOAs comprise between 2,000 and 6,000 households and have a resident population of, generally, between 5,000 and 15,000 people. MSOAs fit within local authorities. For each area, descriptive statistics are compared with local authority and national averages. For more information about MSOAs, please visit the Office for National Statistics website.
The data displayed is sourced from:
Deprivation
Whetstone East is the 24th least deprived area in Barnet (out of 42) with 36% of children living in low-income families, compared to 37% across Barnet and 38% nationally.
Provider information
Registered childcare providers
Whetstone East has 5 registered childcare providers.
| Type | Number in Whetstone East |
|---|---|
| All childcare providers | 5 |
| Childminders | 4 |
| Pre-school/day nursery/out-of-school care | 1 |
There have been no inspections of childcare providers in Whetstone East since the introduction of the renewed education inspection framework in November 2025.
Summary of Ofsted findings
Summary of Ofsted findings
Inspection of Barnet’s local authority children’s services
These inspections focus on the effectiveness of local authority services and arrangements:
- to help and protect children, and enable families to stay together and get the help they need
- the experiences and progress of children in care wherever they live, including those children who return home
- the arrangements for permanence for children who are looked after, in stable, loving homes, including adoption
- the experiences and progress of care leavers.
| Inspection type | Inspection start date | Overall effectiveness | Impact of leaders | Help and protection | Children in care | Care leavers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ILACS Short Inspection | 10 June 2024 | Good | Good | Good | Outstanding | Good |
| ILACS Standard Inspection | 13 May 2019 | Good | Good | Good | Good | No outcome |
Area SEND inspection of Barnet Local Area Partnership
The purpose of an area SEND inspection is to:
- provide an independent, external evaluation of the effectiveness of the local area partnership’s arrangements for children and young people with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND)
- where appropriate, recommend what the local area partnership should do to improve the arrangements.
| Inspection outcome |
|---|
|
Barnet local area partnership has not yet been inspected under the current area SEND framework. |
Joint targeted area inspection of Barnet local authority
The agencies for these inspections can include the police, children’s social care, probation services, education and relevant health services. Inspectors will also evaluate how local agencies work with education and childcare providers. The focus of these inspections is how effectively the local safeguarding partners work together at the practice and strategic levels.
| Theme | Inspection start date | Link |
|---|---|---|
| There have been no JTAI inspections for this local authority. | ||
Early years population
Contents
Percentage of Whetstone East population by age group
Table showing percentage of Whetstone East population by age group
| % in Whetstone East | % in Barnet | % National | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age 5 and under | 6.8% | 7.2% | 6.4% |
| Under 1 year | 1.1% | 1.1% | 1.0% |
| 1 year | 1.0% | 1.2% | 1.0% |
| 2 years | 1.2% | 1.2% | 1.1% |
| 3 years | 1.0% | 1.2% | 1.1% |
| 4 years | 1.1% | 1.2% | 1.1% |
| 5 years | 1.4% | 1.2% | 1.1% |
Local authority context
Early years pupil premium
In Barnet, 2.9% of children are receiving the early years pupil premium, compared to 5.1% nationally.
Children looked after
The percentage of 'children looked after' in Barnet is 0.4% for under 1 year olds and 0.3% for 1 to 4 year olds. The national average is 0.6% for under 1 year olds and 0.4% for 1 to 4 year olds.
Contents
Table showing percentage of children looked after in Barnet
| Number in Barnet | % in Barnet | % National | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Children looked after (under 1 year) | 17 | 0.4% | 0.6% |
| Children looked after (aged 1 to 4 years) | 54 | 0.3% | 0.4% |
Percentage of children looked after in Barnet
Special educational needs and disabilities in state-funded schools
This data is taken from the school census data for children aged 5 and under with special educational needs and disabilities in state-funded settings.
In Barnet, 3.9% of children aged 5 and under receive SEN support in state-funded settings and 1.6% have an EHC plan, compared to 4.5% and 1.4% nationally.
Contents
Percentage of children with SEND in state-funded settings by age group
Table showing percentage of children with SEND in state-funded settings by age group
| Number in Barnet | % in Barnet | % National | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total: SEN support in state-funded settings (age 5 and under) | 1,128 | 3.9% | 4.5% |
| Total: SEN support in state-funded settings (under 2 years) | 54 | 0.4% | 0.3% |
| Total: SEN support in state-funded settings (3 years) | 218 | 4.4% | 3.7% |
| Total: SEN support in state-funded settings (4 years) | 359 | 7.1% | 9.2% |
| Total: SEN support in state-funded settings (5 years) | 497 | 10% | 12% |
| Total: EHCPs in state-funded settings (age 5 and under) | 478 | 1.6% | 1.4% |
| Total: EHCPs in state-funded settings (under 2 years) | 2 | 0% | 0% |
| Total: EHCPs in state-funded settings (3 years) | 10 | 0.2% | 0.3% |
| Total: EHCPs in state-funded settings (4 years) | 187 | 3.7% | 3.1% |
| Total: EHCPs in state-funded settings (5 years) | 279 | 5.6% | 4.8% |
Education, health and care plans
This data is taken from the local authority level data for children aged 5 and under issued with an education, health and care (EHC) plan in Barnet.
In Barnet, 1.8% of children aged 5 and under have an EHC plan, compared to 1.6% nationally.
Contents
Percentage of children with an EHCP in Barnet by age group
Table showing percentage of children with an EHCP in Barnet by age group
| Number in Barnet | % in Barnet | % National | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total: Children with an EHCP (age 5 and under) | 520 | 1.8% | 1.6% |
| Total: Children with an EHCP (under 2 years) | 1 | 0% | 0% |
| Total: Children with an EHCP (3 years) | 25 | 0.5% | 0.8% |
| Total: Children with an EHCP (4 years) | 205 | 4.1% | 3.4% |
| Total: Children with an EHCP (5 years) | 289 | 5.8% | 5.0% |
Early years funded takeup
In Barnet, take-up of funded early years places is 63% for 2-year-olds, 78% for 3-year-olds, and 81% for 4-year-olds, compared to 72%, 88%, and 93% nationally.
In Barnet, 78% of the funded places for 3-year-olds have been taken up, which is lower than the national at 88%. This places it among the bottom 10% of areas.
In Barnet, 81% of the funded places for 4-year-olds have been taken up, which is lower than the national at 92%. This places it among the bottom 10% of areas.
Contents
Percentage of eligible children taking up funded early years places
Table showing percentage of eligible children taking up funded early years places
| Funded early years places for 2-year-olds | Number of eligible 2-year-olds | % of population aged 2 | % take-up of funded places |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barnet | 677 | 14% | 63% |
| National | 119,598 | 19% | 72% |
| Funded early years places for 3-year-olds | Number of eligible 3-year-olds | % of population aged 3 | % take-up of funded places |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barnet | All 3-year olds are eligible | 78% | |
| National | 88% | ||
| Funded early years places for 4-year-olds | Number of eligible 4-year-olds | % of population aged 4 | % take-up of funded places |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barnet | All 4-year olds are eligible | 81% | |
| National | 93% | ||
The 2-, 3-, and 4-year-old funded places tables look different because they measure different things; funded places for 2-year-olds are only for children considered to be disadvantaged, while for 3- and 4-year-olds everyone is entitled to a funded place.
Children's overweight and obesity
In Barnet, 19% of reception-age children are overweight or obese, compared to 24% nationally.
The children’s overweight and obesity measure is 19% in Barnet compared with 24% nationally. This places it among the bottom 10% of areas with children who are overweight or obese.
Contents
Percentage of reception-age children overweight or obese
Table showing percentage of reception-age children overweight or obese
| Number in Barnet | % in Barnet | % National | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Children's overweight and obesity (reception-age children) | 665 | 19% | 24% |
Oral health
In Barnet, 29% of children aged 5 have visible tooth decay (oral health issues) compared to 22% nationally.
Contents
Percentage of 5-year-olds with visible tooth decay
Table showing percentage of 5-year-olds with visible tooth decay
| Number examined in Barnet | % examined in Barnet | % in Barnet | % National | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oral health (visible tooth decay in 5-year-olds) | 353 | 7.0% | 29% | 22% |