Willingdon Community School: school finances
Tight
Holds £94k in reserve, under 3% of a year's income: little room for surprises.
Latest full year 2025-26, as a council-run school (CFR return, April–March). East Sussex · 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 | £5.8m | £5.5m | +£275k | £315k | 992 |
2019-20 | £5.8m | £5.9m | -£56k | £259k | 984 |
2020-21 | £6.0m | £6.0m | -£3k | £256k | 1,006 |
2021-22 | £6.4m | £6.5m | -£169k | £87k | 1,006 |
2022-23 | £6.5m | £6.6m | -£88k | -£2k | 1,019 |
2023-24 | £7.0m | £6.9m | +£62k | £61k | 1,053 |
2024-25 | £7.9m | £7.9m | -£6k | £54k | 1,093 |
2025-26 | £8.7m | £8.6m | +£40k | £94k | 1,118 |
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 13% of them. It spends £7,702 a pupil in total; similar schools typically spend £7,449.
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 | £4,300 | £4,242 | £4,061–£4,636 |
Support staff (e.g. TAs) | £840 | £794 | £667–£973 |
Supply staff | £28 | £120 | £56–£178 |
Admin and clerical | £721 | £398 | £333–£502 |
Premises | £512 | £380 | £338–£512 |
Energy | £114 | £128 | £107–£163 |
Learning resources & ICT | £421 | £496 | £417–£553 |
Bought-in services | £139 | £93 | £34–£199 |
Compare side by side with the 3 most similar schools
Which schools are these?
- The Toynbee School Large reserves
- Wreake Valley Academy Large reserves
- The Burton Borough School Large reserves
- All Saints' Catholic Voluntary Academy Large reserves
- East Leake Academy Tight
- Hodgson Academy Healthy
- Pershore High School Large reserves
- Queen Elizabeth's Large reserves
- The Wellington Academy Healthy
- Erasmus Darwin Academy Large reserves
- Penryn College Large reserves
- Claverham Community College Large reserves
Where the money comes from, 2025-26
| Source | Amount | Per pupil |
|---|---|---|
Government grants | £8.3m | £7,468 |
SEN funding (part of grants) | £292k | £262 |
Pupil premium (part of grants) | £247k | £221 |
Self-generated (lettings, catering, donations) | £302k | £270 |
Questions to ask the school
Useful for parents, governors and PTA committees.
- What would the school do if costs rose unexpectedly, such as energy or a pay award that isn't fully funded?
- Spending on admin and clerical is £721 a pupil, against a typical £398 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 Willingdon Community School · All East Sussex school finances