The Barlow RC High School: school finances
Healthy
Holds £406k in reserve, 5% of a year's income.
Latest full year 2025-26, as a council-run school (CFR return, April–March). Manchester · Secondary · Voluntary aided 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 | £5.8m | £5.9m | -£64k | £385k | 882 |
2019-20 | £6.0m | £6.3m | -£261k | £124k | 870 |
2020-21 | £6.3m | £5.9m | +£335k | £459k | 866 |
2021-22 | £6.4m | £6.2m | +£165k | £624k | 876 |
2022-23 | £6.9m | £7.3m | -£344k | £280k | 909 |
2023-24 | £7.9m | £7.8m | +£58k | £338k | 901 |
2024-25 | £8.6m | £8.5m | +£57k | £394k | 918 |
2025-26 | £9.0m | £9.0m | +£12k | £406k | 933 |
Compared with similar schools
Similar schools are the 30 secondary 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 33% of them. It spends £9,618 a pupil in total; similar schools typically spend £8,175.
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 | £5,476 | £4,519 | £4,274–£4,925 |
Support staff (e.g. TAs) | £1,189 | £998 | £660–£1,146 |
Supply staff | £20 | £133 | £83–£263 |
Admin and clerical | £410 | £436 | £381–£593 |
Premises | £351 | £425 | £394–£595 |
Energy | £194 | £162 | £135–£204 |
Learning resources & ICT | £870 | £520 | £383–£629 |
Bought-in services | £437 | £128 | £58–£191 |
Compare side by side with the 3 most similar schools
Which schools are these?
- The Wordsley School Healthy
- Droylsden Academy Large reserves
- Lawn Manor Academy Healthy
- St Bede's Catholic School and Byron Sixth Form College In deficit
- The Bolsover School In deficit
- The Derby High School Large reserves
- Heritage High School Large reserves
- Ursuline College Large reserves
- Outwood Academy City Fields Large reserves
- Walton Academy Tight
- Ormiston Venture Academy Large reserves
- Landau Forte Academy, Amington In deficit
Where the money comes from, 2025-26
| Source | Amount | Per pupil |
|---|---|---|
Government grants | £8.6m | £9,256 |
SEN funding (part of grants) | £545k | £584 |
Pupil premium (part of grants) | £432k | £463 |
Self-generated (lettings, catering, donations) | £351k | £376 |
Questions to ask the school
Useful for parents, governors and PTA committees.
- Spending on bought-in services is £437 a pupil, against a typical £128 for similar schools. What's behind that?
- Spending on learning resources & ict is £870 a pupil, against a typical £520 for similar schools. What's behind that?
- Spending on teachers is £5,476 a pupil, against a typical £4,519 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 The Barlow RC High School · All Manchester school finances