A school has marked the opening of a new £3.4m extension which will help tackle the "huge demand" for school places in Barnet.

The new building at Copthall Secondary School, in Pursley Road, Mill Hill will provide 12 new classrooms, including an IT suite and the school’s English faculty.

The extension means the all-girls secondary school will be able to expand from 180 pupils per year to 210.

Further plans are also in the pipeline to expand the canteen and improve the sixth form accommodation.

Students celebrated the official opening with Barnet mayor Councillor Mark Shooter on Thursday, June 24.

Headteacher Jane Beaumont said: “The new build at Copthall School will make a significant difference to the provision we make for our community.

“It will also transform how we use the space in the school, supporting our offer of a high quality education. Our community is grateful to Barnet council for leading on such an important project for the school.”

Barnet mayor Cllr Shooter said: “We are currently experiencing a huge demand for primary school places across the borough and these extra pupils will soon be needing a secondary school place.

“It’s great to see the fruits of everyone’s hard work at the school, the council and its partners coming to fruition.”

The school is the third in the borough, along with Compton and Christ’s College, to expand to accommodate the high demand for school places, with a combined cost of £12.6m.