City of Birmingham School: school finances
Healthy
Holds £634k in reserve, 4% of a year's income.
Latest full year 2025-26, as a council-run school (CFR return, April–March). Birmingham · Not applicable · Pupil referral unit.
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 | £8.4m | £8.3m | +£62k | £1.4m | 436 |
2019-20 | £8.7m | £8.8m | -£117k | £1.3m | 413 |
2020-21 | £8.5m | £9.5m | -£976k | £304k | 392 |
2021-22 | £9.2m | £9.0m | +£228k | £532k | 336 |
2022-23 | £9.3m | £10.2m | -£859k | -£327k | 395 |
2023-24 | £13.2m | £11.8m | +£1.4m | £1.1m | 424 |
2024-25 | £14.7m | £14.6m | +£20k | £1.1m | 491 |
2025-26 | £16.1m | £16.6m | -£449k | £634k | 461 |
Compared with similar schools
Similar schools are the 30 alternative-provision schools outside London closest in size and in the share of pupils on free school meals. Its reserve, as a share of income, is higher than 30% of them. It spends £35,945 a pupil in total; similar schools typically spend £24,627.
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 | £13,415 | £9,910 | £8,173–£13,582 |
Support staff (e.g. TAs) | £3,463 | £4,983 | £3,506–£6,259 |
Supply staff | £1,464 | £1,109 | £235–£1,963 |
Admin and clerical | £1,840 | £1,015 | £775–£1,770 |
Premises | £3,059 | £1,003 | £593–£1,263 |
Energy | £198 | £279 | £211–£416 |
Learning resources & ICT | £4,499 | £1,286 | £706–£2,533 |
Bought-in services | £3,726 | £792 | £155–£2,564 |
Compare side by side with the 3 most similar schools
Which schools are these?
- UET Pathfinder Academy Large reserves
- The Woodlands Tight
- West Sussex Alternative Provision College Healthy
- Moorbridge In deficit
- Everton Free School & Football College Large reserves
- Esteem North Academy Large reserves
- Unity Academy Healthy
- Highfields College In deficit
- Aspire Academy Healthy
- The Link School In deficit
- Raise Rochdale Pupil Referral Service Healthy
- Tameside Alternative Provision Academy Large reserves
Where the money comes from, 2025-26
| Source | Amount | Per pupil |
|---|---|---|
Government grants | £15.4m | £33,415 |
SEN funding (part of grants) | £7.7m | £16,634 |
Pupil premium (part of grants) | £498k | £1,080 |
Self-generated (lettings, catering, donations) | £717k | £1,556 |
Questions to ask the school
Useful for parents, governors and PTA committees.
- Spending on bought-in services is £3,726 a pupil, against a typical £792 for similar schools. What's behind that?
- Spending on learning resources & ict is £4,499 a pupil, against a typical £1,286 for similar schools. What's behind that?
- Spending on premises is £3,059 a pupil, against a typical £1,003 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 City of Birmingham School · All Birmingham school finances