Cherry Garden School: school finances
Large reserves
Holds £466k in reserve, 10% of a year's income.
Latest full year 2025-26, as a council-run school (CFR return, April–March). Southwark · Not applicable · Community special school.
Reserve at the end of each year, 2018-19 to 2025-26
Income and spending, 2018-19 to 2025-26
Income Spending
Show the figures as a table
| Year | Income | Spending | Balance | Reserve | Pupils |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2018-19 | £2.1m | £1.8m | +£268k | £427k | 59 |
2019-20 | £2.4m | £2.3m | +£70k | £497k | 71 |
2020-21 | £2.8m | £2.7m | +£181k | £678k | 79 |
2021-22 | £3.0m | £3.1m | -£111k | £567k | 84 |
2022-23 | £2.9m | £3.3m | -£313k | £255k | 88 |
2023-24 | £3.6m | £3.6m | +£24k | £278k | 87 |
2024-25 | £4.2m | £4.0m | +£166k | £444k | 94 |
2025-26 | £4.8m | £4.8m | +£22k | £466k | 111 |
Compared with similar schools
Similar schools are the 30 special 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 63% of them. It spends £42,907 a pupil in total; similar schools typically spend £39,878.
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 | £14,419 | £13,500 | £11,535–£16,279 |
Support staff (e.g. TAs) | £12,157 | £8,696 | £6,446–£12,742 |
Supply staff | £1,127 | £1,369 | £402–£3,621 |
Admin and clerical | £1,386 | £1,665 | £1,138–£2,121 |
Premises | £2,574 | £1,926 | £1,459–£2,762 |
Energy | £801 | £581 | £418–£710 |
Learning resources & ICT | £1,416 | £1,186 | £787–£1,780 |
Bought-in services | £5,640 | £2,232 | £913–£4,855 |
Compare side by side with the 3 most similar schools
Which schools are these?
- Spa School, Bermondsey Healthy
- Woodlane High School Heading for deficit
- Lime Academy Forest Approach Large reserves
- Endeavour Academy Bexley Healthy
- St Ann's School Tight
- Stormont House School Healthy
- The Livity School Large reserves
- The PRIDE Academy Large reserves
- Beatrice Tate School Healthy
- Cambridge School Large reserves
- Russet House School Large reserves
- Cleeve Meadow School Tight
Where the money comes from, 2025-26
| Source | Amount | Per pupil |
|---|---|---|
Government grants | £4.7m | £42,007 |
SEN funding (part of grants) | £3.3m | £29,486 |
Pupil premium (part of grants) | £74k | £671 |
Self-generated (lettings, catering, donations) | £125k | £1,124 |
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 £5,640 a pupil, against a typical £2,232 for similar schools. What's behind that?
- Spending on energy is £801 a pupil, against a typical £581 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 Cherry Garden School · All Southwark school finances