Birch Wood (Melton Area Special School): school finances
Large reserves
Holds £1.4m in reserve, 18% of a year's income.
Latest full year 2024-25, as a council-run school (CFR return, April–March). Leicestershire · Not applicable · Academy special 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 | £3.4m | £3.5m | -£78k | £184k | 155 |
2019-20 | £4.3m | £4.0m | +£261k | £445k | 181 |
2020-21 | £4.6m | £4.7m | -£123k | £322k | 201 |
2021-22 | £5.4m | £5.0m | +£323k | £645k | 212 |
2022-23 | £5.5m | £5.7m | -£146k | £499k | 224 |
2023-24 | £7.3m | £6.7m | +£580k | £1.1m | 228 |
2024-25 | £7.9m | £7.6m | +£326k | £1.4m | 245 |
Compared with similar schools
Similar schools are the 30 special 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 73% of them. It spends £30,893 a pupil in total; similar schools typically spend £27,368.
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 | £11,066 | £10,331 | £9,413–£11,491 |
Support staff (e.g. TAs) | £11,036 | £10,360 | £8,232–£12,055 |
Supply staff | £0 | £493 | £116–£997 |
Admin and clerical | £981 | £1,245 | £889–£1,493 |
Premises | £1,746 | £1,258 | £1,012–£1,458 |
Energy | £488 | £366 | £252–£452 |
Learning resources & ICT | £876 | £791 | £603–£1,022 |
Bought-in services | £2,880 | £457 | £276–£1,179 |
Compare side by side with the 3 most similar schools
Which schools are these?
- St Anthony's School In deficit
- Tor View School Large reserves
- The Springfields Academy Large reserves
- Hawthorns School Healthy
- The Edith Borthwick School Healthy
- Polden Bower School Large reserves
- The Fountains High School Large reserves
- Billing Brook Special School Large reserves
- Hope School Healthy
- Ivel Valley School & College Tight
- Laleham Gap School Healthy
- The Woodlands School Large reserves
Where the money comes from, 2024-25
| Source | Amount | Per pupil |
|---|---|---|
Government grants | £7.8m | £31,775 |
SEN funding (part of grants) | £5.7m | £23,101 |
Pupil premium (part of grants) | £100k | £407 |
Self-generated (lettings, catering, donations) | £113k | £461 |
Questions to ask the school
Useful for parents, governors and PTA committees.
- What are the reserves set aside for, and when will they be spent on current pupils?
- Could any of the surplus be clawed back under the council's scheme for financing schools?
- Spending on bought-in services is £2,880 a pupil, against a typical £457 for similar schools. What's behind that?
- Spending on premises is £1,746 a pupil, against a typical £1,258 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 Birch Wood (Melton Area Special School) · All Leicestershire school finances