by MATTHEW NIXSON

education correspondent

Six of Barnet's leading headteachers have weighed into the row over extra places at so-called popular schools.

They say branding schools 'popular' or 'unpopular' depending on GCSE results is 'nonsense' and wholly inappropriate.

Their comments, in a letter to the Hendon Times Group this week, follow proposals to expand schools like The Compton in North Finchley and Mill Hill County. Last month Councillor Alison Moore, Barnet Council's cabinet member for education, said: 'The LEA should be expanding schools that are popular with parents and children.'

Under her proposals debated at Tuesday night's full council meeting, 'unpopular' schools, including Ravenscroft in Barnet and Whitefield in Cricklewood, would be passed over until they raised standards. Tory leader Councillor Liz Mammatt backs the Labour proposals in principle but criticised Ms Moore for 'rubbishing' less successful schools.

In their letter, the headteachers wrote: 'Barnet is in the position of having a wide selection of very effective schools. To measure their success purely by the number of students who secure five good passes at GCSE is wholly inappropriate.'

Alan Davison, headteacher at Mill Hill County, said: 'We represent different schools and we are confident that the popular or unpopular debate is nonsense.' Dr Davison, whose own school leads the borough in numbers of applications, believes parental pressure has led to the sudden change in policy.

However, with places due to come on-line in September 2001 just months before council elections, an education source said: 'It's an obvious vote winner among parents of children who haven't found suitable places.'