Clarion, London

From the headteacher's welcome: "My name is Chris Hunt and I am incredibly proud to be the Headteacher at Clarion, a school which reminds me of my own secondary school, one which embraced its diverse community and acted as a social leveller allowing us all to flourish."

In 2026, pupils at Clarion averaged an Attainment 8 score of 43.4, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 57.9 in Barnet and 47 across England.

37% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 66% in Barnet and 47% in England.

That is down from 44.8 in 2025.

Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was 0.44: pupils made above average progress compared with pupils nationally who started secondary school at the same level. Progress 8 was not published for 2026.

Disadvantaged pupils averaged an Attainment 8 of 39.2, against 47.9 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 8.7 points.

Pupils sat GCSEs in 25 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Combined Science, Business Studies and History.

For September 2026 entry, 99 families put Clarion as their first choice and 217 named it as one of their preferences, for 150 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.

The nearest other state secondary schools to Clarion are Hendon School (0.8 miles, Good, Attainment 8 46.6); Menorah High School for Girls (1.2 miles, Good, Attainment 8 62.5); E-ACT Crest Academy (1.2 miles, Good, Attainment 8 40); and St Mary's and St John's CofE School (1.3 miles, Attainment 8 54.5).

Clarion's 2026 results were higher than 1 of these 4 schools.

Clarion is run by its own single-school academy trust.

Of the 110 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 94% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 33% to a further education college.

Of the 80 students who left the sixth form in 2023/24, 58% went on to university or other higher education, 1% to apprenticeships and 11% into work. 4% went to one of the most selective third of universities.

47.9% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), and 68.2% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.

The largest ethnic groups are other ethnic groups (38%), Black (18%) and Mixed (11%).

In 2026, 64 pupils (9.3%) received SEN support and 39 (5.7%) had an education, health and care plan, against 16.2% and 4.6% at the average state school. The most common need among them is speech, language and communication needs.

Clarion has a resourced provision for specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia, speech, language and communication needs, autism, social, emotional and mental health needs and moderate learning difficulties: 25 places, 16 pupils on roll.

Clarion had 62 teachers in 2026, one for every 11 pupils: more teachers per pupil than a typical secondary school, at about one for every 17.

The nearest Underground station is Brent Cross Underground Station, about 500 metres away (roughly a 6-minute walk).

19 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Mapledown School, 70 metres away.

Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Clarion stands in is among the 20% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.

In 2024/25, Clarion issued 216 suspensions, 31.4 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 1 permanent exclusion.

The primary schools closest to Clarion are Wessex Gardens Primary School (0.4 miles), Menorah Primary School for Girls (0.5 miles), Menorah Primary School for Boys (0.5 miles) and Claremont Primary School (0.6 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.