The Forest School: school finances
Tight
Holds £16k in reserve, under 3% of a year's income: little room for surprises.
Latest full year 2024-25, as a council-run school (CFR return, April–March). West Sussex · Secondary · Academy converter.
Earlier years come from this school's return before it became an academy (a different DfE number).
A 2025-26 return is published too, but it covers part of a year or leaves out the income or reserve figure, so the latest complete year is shown.
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 | £5.8m | £5.8m | +£23k | £101k | 1,112 |
2019-20 | £6.3m | £6.1m | +£286k | £387k | 1,072 |
2020-21 | £6.0m | £5.8m | +£199k | £585k | 1,048 |
2021-22 | £5.8m | £6.2m | -£389k | £197k | 1,015 |
2022-23 | £6.3m | £6.4m | -£164k | £32k | 1,023 |
2023-24 | £7.1m | £7.2m | -£29k | £3k | 1,042 |
2024-25 | £7.9m | £7.9m | +£13k | £16k | 1,095 |
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 17% of them. It spends £7,182 a pupil in total; similar schools typically spend £7,451.
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 | £3,552 | £4,406 | £4,247–£4,729 |
Support staff (e.g. TAs) | £444 | £615 | £495–£771 |
Supply staff | £158 | £42 | £19–£80 |
Admin and clerical | £491 | £477 | £369–£566 |
Premises | £592 | £359 | £296–£439 |
Energy | £208 | £126 | £106–£148 |
Learning resources & ICT | £494 | £582 | £488–£772 |
Bought-in services | £122 | £91 | £54–£109 |
Compare side by side with the 3 most similar schools
Which schools are these?
- Bishop Walsh Catholic School In deficit
- The Misbourne School Large reserves
- St Oscar Romero Catholic School Large reserves
- Nicholas Breakspear Catholic School Large reserves
- The Queen Elizabeth's High School, Gainsborough Large reserves
- Holcombe Grammar School Tight
- St Edward's Roman Catholic/Church of England School, Poole Large reserves
- The Nelson Thomlinson School In deficit
- The Marlborough Church of England School Large reserves
- The Hayfield School In deficit
- Alec Hunter Academy Large reserves
- Hartismere School Large reserves
Where the money comes from, 2024-25
| Source | Amount | Per pupil |
|---|---|---|
Government grants | £7.3m | £6,706 |
SEN funding (part of grants) | £158k | £145 |
Pupil premium (part of grants) | £161k | £147 |
Self-generated (lettings, catering, donations) | £603k | £550 |
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 supply staff is £158 a pupil, against a typical £42 for similar schools. What's behind that?
- Spending on energy is £208 a pupil, against a typical £126 for similar schools. What's behind that?
- Spending on premises is £592 a pupil, against a typical £359 for similar schools. What's behind that?
- Spending on bought-in services is £122 a pupil, against a typical £91 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 Forest School · All West Sussex school finances