Field Road Academy: school finances
Heading for deficit
Has spent more than it received for 3 years running; at that rate its £2k reserve runs out in about 0 year.
Latest full year 2024-25, as a council-run school (CFR return, April–March). Walsall · Primary · 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 | £1.5m | £1.6m | -£80k | £76k | 230 |
2019-20 | £1.5m | £1.5m | -£37k | £39k | 231 |
2020-21 | £1.6m | £1.6m | +£33k | £72k | 235 |
2021-22 | £1.6m | £1.6m | +£9k | £81k | 227 |
2022-23 | £1.7m | £1.7m | -£34k | £47k | 222 |
2023-24 | £1.7m | £1.8m | -£15k | £32k | 225 |
2024-25 | £1.8m | £1.8m | -£30k | £2k | 220 |
Compared with similar schools
Similar schools are the 30 primary 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 20% of them. It spends £8,347 a pupil in total; similar schools typically spend £8,412.
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 | £3,760 | £3,547 | £3,208–£3,871 |
Support staff (e.g. TAs) | £1,334 | £1,794 | £1,384–£2,099 |
Supply staff | £104 | £159 | £53–£534 |
Admin and clerical | £579 | £341 | £286–£443 |
Premises | £637 | £470 | £390–£568 |
Energy | £51 | £110 | £101–£164 |
Learning resources & ICT | £290 | £362 | £258–£432 |
Bought-in services | £518 | £280 | £152–£443 |
Compare side by side with the 3 most similar schools
Which schools are these?
- Holy Trinity CofE Primary School Large reserves
- Merritts Brook Primary E-ACT Academy Large reserves
- St Wilfrid's CofE Junior and Infant School Healthy
- Tame Valley Academy Large reserves
- Beever Primary School Tight
- St John's & St Peter's CofE Primary Healthy
- Lemington Riverside Primary School Healthy
- St Johns Primary School Healthy
- Abbey Hulton Primary School In deficit
- Hightown Primary School In deficit
- Hawkesley Church Primary Academy Large reserves
- St Paul's Church of England Primary School Tight
Where the money comes from, 2024-25
| Source | Amount | Per pupil |
|---|---|---|
Government grants | £1.8m | £8,035 |
SEN funding (part of grants) | £76k | £344 |
Pupil premium (part of grants) | £211k | £958 |
Self-generated (lettings, catering, donations) | £38k | £174 |
Questions to ask the school
Useful for parents, governors and PTA committees.
- What is the plan to stop spending more than the school receives each year?
- Spending on bought-in services is £518 a pupil, against a typical £280 for similar schools. What's behind that?
- Spending on admin and clerical is £579 a pupil, against a typical £341 for similar schools. What's behind that?
- Spending on premises is £637 a pupil, against a typical £470 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 Field Road Academy · All Walsall school finances