Altwood Church of England School: school finances
Latest full year 2024-25, as an academy (accounts return, September to August). Windsor and Maidenhead · Secondary · Academy converter
Healthy
Holds £291k £367 per pupil in reserve, 5% of a year's income.
Status by year
- 2018-19 Large reserves reserve 5% or more of a year's income
- 2019-20 Heading for deficit spending more than it received, reserve running down
- 2020-21 Heading for deficit same as the year before
- 2021-22 Heading for deficit same as the year before
- 2022-23 Healthy reserve between 3% and 5% of a year's income
- 2024-25 Healthy same as the year before
Government funding vs spending per pupil
In 2024-25, government funding was £6.0m £7,620 per pupil and spending £6.3m £7,950 per pupil. Spending was £262k £330 per pupil more than government funding; the difference came from other income, such as lettings, catering or donations, or from the school's reserve.
Funding is the money a school receives; spending is what it pays out. The two differ when a school adds to or draws on its savings, and because some money is spent on its pupils by someone else: the council (for example special needs top-ups and transport) or, for academies, the trust's central team. (IFS, pp. 7, 10, 46, 52, 54)
Government funding is the academy accounts line "grant funding from government" in academy (AAR) years and the CFR grant funding total in council-run years. The two are not strictly comparable: CFR line I07 can include some money that is not from government.
Real terms: in 2025-26 prices (HM Treasury GDP deflator, October 2026).
Reserve per pupil by year
Real terms: in 2025-26 prices (HM Treasury GDP deflator, October 2026).
| Year | Pupils | Income | Spending | In-year balance | Reserve at year end |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 794.0 | £6.4m £8,106 per pupil | £6.3m £7,950 per pupil | +£124k +£156 per pupil | £284k £358 per pupil |
| 2022-23 | 654.0 | £5.0m £7,682 per pupil | £4.8m £7,393 per pupil | +£189k +£289 per pupil | £206k £315 per pupil |
| 2021-22 | 552.0 | £3.9m £7,074 per pupil | £3.9m £7,105 per pupil | -£17k -£31 per pupil | £15k £27 per pupil |
| 2020-21 | 490.0 | £3.4m £6,914 per pupil | £3.7m £7,569 per pupil | -£321k -£655 per pupil | £31k £63 per pupil |
| 2019-20 | 473.0 | £3.2m £6,715 per pupil | £3.5m £7,412 per pupil | -£330k -£698 per pupil | £195k £412 per pupil |
| 2018-19 | 485.0 | £3.3m £6,835 per pupil | £3.7m £7,629 per pupil | -£385k -£794 per pupil | £406k £837 per pupil |
Where the money comes from
| Line | 2024-25 | Trend per pupil | Change per pupil since 2018-19 | Similar schools (median per pupil) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total income | £6.4m £8,106 per pupil | +19% -7% real | £8k | |
| Government funding | £6.0m £7,620 per pupil | +26% -1% real | £8k | |
| Special needs (SEN) funding | £299k £377 per pupil | +30% +3% real | £224 | |
| Pupil premium | Not reported in academy accounts | |||
| Money the school raised itself | £160k £202 per pupil | -50% -61% real | £309 | |
| Donations (day-to-day) | £19k £24 per pupil | -84% -88% real | £3 | |
| Donations for buildings and equipment | Not reported in academy accounts | |||
| Facilities and services | £139k £175 per pupil | -15% -33% real | £102 | |
| Catering income | £0 £0 per pupil | £163 | ||
| Other DfE grants | £5k £6 per pupil | +50% +20% real | £21 | |
Other DfE grants is a container line. It includes the grants that cover higher employer pension and National Insurance costs, which cannot be separated out, so no figure is shown for them on their own. Not every rise in a school's income is extra spending power. When the government raised what schools pay as employers into staff pensions and National Insurance, it gave schools grants to cover the bill. The IFS describes this as extra money to pay for extra outgoings, with no change in real resources. About £2.3 billion of the growth in school funding between 2019–20 and 2025–26 was this kind of grant. So when a school's income jumps, check whether its staff costs jumped by the same amount: the money may simply have passed through. (IFS, p. 50)
Academy accounts don't report pupil premium as a separate line, so it is shown as not reported rather than as zero.
Where it goes
| Line | 2024-25 | Trend per pupil | Change per pupil since 2018-19 | Similar schools (median per pupil) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total spending | £6.3m £7,950 per pupil | +4% -18% real | £8k | |
| Teachers | £3.6m £4,544 per pupil | +15% -10% real | £4k | |
| Supply staff | £9k £11 per pupil | -70% -75% real | £109 | |
| Support staff | £776k £977 per pupil | +20% -5% real | £801 | |
| Office and admin staff | £496k £625 per pupil | -19% -36% real | £413 | |
| Premises staff | £164k £207 per pupil | +105% +61% real | £196 | |
| Catering staff | £0 £0 per pupil | £0 | ||
| Other staff costs | £37k £47 per pupil | -16% -35% real | £70 | |
| All staff costs | £4.9m £6,204 per pupil | +10% -13% real | £6k | |
| Premises | £378k £476 per pupil | -1% -22% real | £471 | |
| Energy | £105k £132 per pupil | +17% -8% real | £158 | |
| Rates, water and other building costs | £224k £282 per pupil | +14% -10% real | £495 | |
| Catering | £65k £82 per pupil | +110% +63% real | £248 | |
| Learning resources | £196k £247 per pupil | -61% -69% real | £513 | |
| Supplies and services | £784k £987 per pupil | -26% -42% real | £824 | |
| Bought-in services | £261k £329 per pupil | -34% -48% real | £94 |
Staff costs were 78% of this school's spending in 2024-25. Across England, over 80% of schools' costs are staff costs. (IFS, p. 63)
In 2025-26 prices, this school spent £6.4m £8,103 per pupil in 2024-25. Across England, secondary schools are expected to spend about £7,800 per pupil in 2025–26, including sixth forms. (IFS, p. 7)
Academy figures exclude the trust's central spending on its schools, so they can look lower than a council-run school's. See the trust's central spending below.
Pupils by year
- 2018-19 485.0
- 2019-20 473.0
- 2020-21 490.0
- 2021-22 552.0
- 2022-23 654.0
- 2024-25 794.0
Trust central spending
What AGAPE MULTI ACADEMY TRUST spent centrally per pupil, on top of this school's own accounts:
- 2018-19 £0
- 2019-20 £0
- 2020-21 £0
- 2021-22 £0
- 2022-23 £0
- 2024-25 £229
These are cash figures. The IFS average below is in 2025-26 prices.
On average, academy trusts spent £510 per pupil centrally in 2023–24, money that is not counted in their individual schools' own spending. (IFS, p. 56)
Money raised by parents
| School year | Raised | Spent |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 year to August 2025 | £2k £3 per pupil | £4k £6 per pupil |
| 2023-24 year to August 2024 | £2k | £0 |
| 2022-23 year to August 2023 | £3k £4 per pupil | £0 £0 per pupil |
| 2021-22 year to August 2022 | £3k £5 per pupil | £4k £8 per pupil |
| 2020-21 year to August 2021 | £2k £4 per pupil | £481 £1 per pupil |
- FRIENDS OF ALTWOOD SCHOOL (charity 1156355) Had a registered PTA until 2015.
- THE ALTWOOD SCHOOL ASSOCIATION (charity 281397) Latest return: £2k £3 per pupil in the year to August 2025.
Each return is placed in the school year that holds the end of the charity's financial year, and per-pupil figures use that year's pupils. A parents' association's money is its own and isn't in the school's accounts above. Money a parents' association gives the school can also appear in the school's own accounts as donations, so the two can overlap. They are shown separately here and never added together.
Across England, the typical registered parents' association raised £50 per pupil in 2025-26.
Intake and area
- 24% of pupils eligible for free school meals (median school: council 14%, England 22%)
- Neighbourhood deprivation decile 10 of 10 (1 = most deprived)
- Income deprivation affecting children: decile 10 of 10 (1 = most deprived)
- 52% of adults nearby hold a degree-level qualification
- 88% of nearby homes are owner-occupied
- 0% of nearby homes are social rented
Intake band 2 of 5 nationally, combining free-school-meal eligibility and the deprivation of the school's neighbourhood (1 = least disadvantaged, 5 = most).
Context, not a judgement: schools with different intakes get different funding and face different costs.
How my school's money is split
For pupils: out of every pound the school spent in 2024-25, here is roughly where it went, with the amount for each pupil.
- Teachers £3.6m £4,555 per pupil
- Support staff £776k £977 per pupil
- Buildings and grounds £378k £476 per pupil
- Energy £105k £132 per pupil
- Learning resources £196k £247 per pupil
- Everything else £1.2m £1,562 per pupil
National context
- Secondary pupil numbers in England are expected to fall by about 100,000 (4%) by 2030–31, starting from about 2026–27. (IFS, p. 19)
- Council-run primary schools spend about £400 (6%) more per pupil than primary academies, and council-run secondaries about £300 (4%) more, partly because trusts spend some money centrally. (IFS, p. 56)
- Mainstream schools are expected to fund the first £6,000 a year of extra support for a pupil with special needs from their own budget. (IFS, p. 46)
- School sixth forms get about £6,400 per student in 2025–26, compared with about £8,000 in further education colleges. (IFS, p. 69)
- Funding per student in school sixth forms is around 20% lower in real terms than in 2010–11. (IFS, p. 11)
Questions to ask the school
Useful for parents, governors and PTFA committees.
- How much of Altwood Church of England School's funding does AGAPE MULTI ACADEMY TRUST keep centrally each year, and what does the school get for it? Why ask: Academy trusts spent £510 per pupil centrally in 2023–24 on average. (IFS, p. 56)
- How much does the PTA (or friends' association) raise each year, and what does it pay for?
- Does the school's reserve figure include its share of the trust's central reserves?
- How does Altwood Church of England School's spending per pupil compare with similar schools, and why? Why ask: Nationally, primaries spend about £7,000 and secondaries about £7,800 per pupil in 2025–26. (IFS, p. 7)
- Can the trust move money between its schools, and has this school given or received any?
- Who sets the school's budget: the headteacher, local governors or the trust board?
Check at source
Every figure here comes from the school's published return. Check it on the DfE benchmarking page for this school, and see how the figures are worked out.
Similar schools: the closest in phase, size and share of pupils on free school meals.
- St Thomas More RC College
- Anthony Gell School
- The Newbridge School
- de Stafford School
- West Somerset College
Admissions and catchments for Altwood Church of England School on Schools in Reach · All Windsor and Maidenhead school finances · Schools in Maidenhead · AGAPE MULTI ACADEMY TRUST
- DfE Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool data: CFR returns for council-run schools (April to March) and academy accounts returns (September to August), Open Government Licence v3.0
- Get Information about Schools, Open Government Licence v3.0
- Charity Commission register, Open Government Licence v3.0
- National context: IFS, Annual report on education spending in England: 2025–26 (January 2026); IFS figures are in 2025-26 prices (HM Treasury GDP deflator, November 2025)
- Real-terms figures on this page: in 2025-26 prices (HM Treasury GDP deflator, October 2026)