Samuel Ward Academy: school finances
Healthy
Holds £352k in reserve, 4% of a year's income.
Latest full year 2024-25, as a academy (accounts return, September–August). Suffolk · Secondary · Academy converter.
Academies in a trust don't hold money on their own: UNITY SCHOOLS PARTNERSHIP can move money between its schools. The reserve includes this school's per-pupil share of the trust's central reserve.
Reserve at the end of each year, 2018-19 to 2024-25
Income and spending, 2018-19 to 2024-25
Income Spending
Show the figures as a table
| Year | Income | Spending | Balance | Reserve | Pupils |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2018-19 | £7.2m | £6.6m | +£567k | -£2.3m | 1,287 |
2019-20 | £7.5m | £6.7m | +£768k | £0 | 1,276 |
2020-21 | £7.4m | £6.6m | +£858k | £0 | 1,245 |
2021-22 | £7.3m | £6.6m | +£638k | £0 | 1,221 |
2022-23 | £7.8m | £6.7m | +£1.1m | £0 | 1,219 |
2023-24 | £8.4m | £7.6m | +£730k | £0 | 1,176 |
2024-25 | £8.6m | £8.1m | +£428k | £352k | 1,153 |
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 40% of them. It spends £7,047 a pupil in total; similar schools typically spend £7,233.
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 | £4,437 | £4,225 | £4,083–£4,447 |
Support staff (e.g. TAs) | £158 | £659 | £544–£869 |
Supply staff | £274 | £100 | £31–£146 |
Admin and clerical | £311 | £479 | £292–£573 |
Premises | £575 | £408 | £345–£459 |
Energy | £143 | £129 | £109–£159 |
Learning resources & ICT | £624 | £478 | £351–£623 |
Bought-in services | £13 | £78 | £41–£180 |
Compare side by side with the 3 most similar schools
Which schools are these?
- Trinity School Large reserves
- St Simon Stock Catholic School Large reserves
- English Martyrs' Catholic School, A Voluntary Academy Large reserves
- Chesterton Community College Healthy
- St Edward's College In deficit
- The Eastwood Academy Large reserves
- St Wilfrid's Catholic Comprehensive School, Crawley Tight
- Queensbury Academy Healthy
- The Bicester School Large reserves
- Denefield School Large reserves
- The Thomas Adams School Tight
- Brockington College Healthy
Where the money comes from, 2024-25
| Source | Amount | Per pupil |
|---|---|---|
Government grants | £8.1m | £6,993 |
SEN funding (part of grants) | £250k | £217 |
Self-generated (lettings, catering, donations) | £490k | £425 |
Questions to ask the school
Useful for parents, governors and PTA committees.
- Pupil numbers have fallen 10% since 2018-19. How is the school planning for fewer pupils, and the funding that goes with them?
- Spending on supply staff is £274 a pupil, against a typical £100 for similar schools. What's behind that?
- Spending on premises is £575 a pupil, against a typical £408 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 Samuel Ward Academy · All Suffolk school finances