Lift Beacon High: school finances
Tight
Holds £36k 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). Islington · 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 | £7.2m | £7.1m | +£125k | £133k | 631 |
2019-20 | £6.4m | £6.4m | -£14k | £119k | 493 |
2020-21 | £5.3m | £5.8m | -£444k | -£325k | 423 |
2021-22 | £5.4m | £5.4m | -£9k | -£334k | 428 |
2022-23 | £5.8m | £5.7m | +£93k | -£240k | 381 |
2023-24 | £5.6m | £5.7m | -£61k | -£301k | 418 |
2024-25 | £6.2m | £5.9m | +£338k | £36k | 417 |
Compared with similar schools
Similar schools are the 30 secondary schools in 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 £14,151 a pupil in total; similar schools typically spend £11,548.
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 | £6,452 | £6,161 | £5,659–£6,837 |
Support staff (e.g. TAs) | £1,698 | £1,048 | £854–£1,286 |
Supply staff | £353 | £334 | £143–£470 |
Admin and clerical | £990 | £837 | £608–£1,148 |
Premises | £2,290 | £756 | £495–£965 |
Energy | £391 | £219 | £160–£288 |
Learning resources & ICT | £443 | £534 | £375–£771 |
Bought-in services | £148 | £265 | £109–£444 |
Compare side by side with the 3 most similar schools
Which schools are these?
- Waterside Academy Large reserves
- St Aloysius' College Large reserves
- Arts and Media School Islington Large reserves
- Meridian High School Large reserves
- Ark Evelyn Grace Academy In deficit
- The Urswick School - A Church of England Secondary School In deficit
- Notre Dame Catholic Girls' School Large reserves
- Haverstock School In deficit
- Ark All Saints Academy Large reserves
- City of London Academy, Highgate Hill Large reserves
- The Charter School Bermondsey Large reserves
- All Saints Catholic High School In deficit
Where the money comes from, 2024-25
| Source | Amount | Per pupil |
|---|---|---|
Government grants | £5.9m | £14,086 |
SEN funding (part of grants) | £364k | £872 |
Pupil premium (part of grants) | £307k | £735 |
Self-generated (lettings, catering, donations) | £365k | £875 |
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?
- Pupil numbers have fallen 34% since 2018-19. How is the school planning for fewer pupils, and the funding that goes with them?
- Spending on premises is £2,290 a pupil, against a typical £756 for similar schools. What's behind that?
- Spending on energy is £391 a pupil, against a typical £219 for similar schools. What's behind that?
- Spending on support staff (e.g. tas) is £1,698 a pupil, against a typical £1,048 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 Lift Beacon High · All Islington school finances