Little Ilford School: school finances
Heading for deficit
Has spent more than it received for 3 years running; at that rate its £1.3m reserve runs out in about 2 years.
Latest full year 2025-26, as a council-run school (CFR return, April–March). Newham · Secondary · Community school.
Reserve at the end of each year, 2018-19 to 2025-26
Income and spending, 2018-19 to 2025-26
Income Spending
Show the figures as a table
| Year | Income | Spending | Balance | Reserve | Pupils |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2018-19 | £10.7m | £11.2m | -£504k | £558k | 1,402 |
2019-20 | £11.2m | £11.7m | -£488k | £70k | 1,434 |
2020-21 | £12.4m | £10.9m | +£1.5m | £1.6m | 1,444 |
2021-22 | £13.4m | £12.5m | +£929k | £2.5m | 1,542 |
2022-23 | £14.7m | £14.2m | +£508k | £3.0m | 1,582 |
2023-24 | £15.6m | £16.3m | -£718k | £2.3m | 1,641 |
2024-25 | £17.2m | £18.1m | -£845k | £1.4m | 1,700 |
2025-26 | £18.8m | £18.9m | -£97k | £1.3m | 1,781 |
Compared with similar schools
Similar schools are the 30 secondary schools in London closest in size and in the share of pupils on free school meals. Its reserve, as a share of income, is higher than 23% of them. It spends £10,620 a pupil in total; similar schools typically spend £10,392.
This school Middle half of similar schools Similar schools’ median
Show the comparison as a table
| Spending per pupil | This school | Similar schools (median) | Middle half |
|---|---|---|---|
Teachers | £5,619 | £5,628 | £5,033–£6,164 |
Support staff (e.g. TAs) | £1,371 | £927 | £652–£1,243 |
Supply staff | £736 | £188 | £58–£334 |
Admin and clerical | £424 | £576 | £432–£737 |
Premises | £458 | £512 | £448–£804 |
Energy | £138 | £174 | £107–£222 |
Learning resources & ICT | £404 | £489 | £370–£627 |
Bought-in services | £500 | £222 | £121–£395 |
Compare side by side with the 3 most similar schools
Which schools are these?
- Plashet, City of London Academy Large reserves
- City of London Academy (Southwark) Large reserves
- Oasis Academy Shirley Park Large reserves
- Stratford School Academy Large reserves
- Lister Community School Large reserves
- Mulberry School for Girls Large reserves
- Kingsford Community School Large reserves
- Mulberry Academy Shoreditch Large reserves
- Sarah Bonnell School Large reserves
- Heron Hall Academy In deficit
- Mossbourne Community Academy Large reserves
- Morpeth School Large reserves
Where the money comes from, 2025-26
| Source | Amount | Per pupil |
|---|---|---|
Government grants | £18.4m | £10,349 |
SEN funding (part of grants) | £1.2m | £661 |
Pupil premium (part of grants) | £867k | £487 |
Self-generated (lettings, catering, donations) | £386k | £217 |
Questions to ask the school
Useful for parents, governors and PTA committees.
- What is the plan to stop spending more than the school receives each year?
- Spending on supply staff is £736 a pupil, against a typical £188 for similar schools. What's behind that?
- Spending on bought-in services is £500 a pupil, against a typical £222 for similar schools. What's behind that?
- Spending on support staff (e.g. tas) is £1,371 a pupil, against a typical £927 for similar schools. What's behind that?
Check these figures
Every figure here comes from the school's published return to the DfE. Check it on the DfE benchmarking page for this school, and see how the status is worked out.
Admissions, Ofsted and results for Little Ilford School · All Newham school finances