Ridgeway High School: school finances
Heading for deficit
Has spent more than it received for 3 years running; at that rate its £208k reserve runs out in about 1 year.
Latest full year 2025-26, as a council-run school (CFR return, April–March). Wirral · Secondary · Foundation 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 | £4.8m | £4.8m | +£56k | -£206k | 734 |
2019-20 | £5.5m | £5.3m | +£248k | £42k | 773 |
2020-21 | £5.6m | £5.3m | +£285k | £328k | 826 |
2021-22 | £6.6m | £6.3m | +£346k | £674k | 877 |
2022-23 | £7.5m | £7.2m | +£357k | £1.0m | 873 |
2023-24 | £8.1m | £8.6m | -£460k | £571k | 901 |
2024-25 | £8.8m | £9.1m | -£274k | £298k | 903 |
2025-26 | £9.2m | £9.3m | -£90k | £208k | 861 |
Compared with similar schools
Similar schools are the 30 secondary 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 10% of them. It spends £10,811 a pupil in total; similar schools typically spend £8,892.
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 | £6,517 | £4,592 | £4,310–£4,820 |
Support staff (e.g. TAs) | £1,464 | £1,234 | £1,000–£1,321 |
Supply staff | £250 | £167 | £57–£269 |
Admin and clerical | £377 | £489 | £398–£720 |
Premises | £492 | £545 | £390–£668 |
Energy | £97 | £171 | £127–£218 |
Learning resources & ICT | £354 | £527 | £446–£676 |
Bought-in services | £546 | £98 | £37–£177 |
Compare side by side with the 3 most similar schools
Which schools are these?
- Ormiston Bolingbroke Academy Large reserves
- Erdington Academy Large reserves
- The Albion Academy Large reserves
- E-ACT Shenley Academy Large reserves
- Bartley Green School Large reserves
- The Academy of St Francis of Assisi Large reserves
- Trinity Academy Leeds Large reserves
- The Oldershaw School Large reserves
- Oasis Academy Wintringham Large reserves
- Cockshut Hill School Large reserves
- Hartsdown Academy In deficit
- Thomas Telford University Technical College Large reserves
Where the money comes from, 2025-26
| Source | Amount | Per pupil |
|---|---|---|
Government grants | £8.9m | £10,379 |
SEN funding (part of grants) | £614k | £714 |
Pupil premium (part of grants) | £596k | £692 |
Self-generated (lettings, catering, donations) | £332k | £385 |
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 £546 a pupil, against a typical £98 for similar schools. What's behind that?
- Spending on teachers is £6,517 a pupil, against a typical £4,592 for similar schools. What's behind that?
- Spending on support staff (e.g. tas) is £1,464 a pupil, against a typical £1,234 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 Ridgeway High School · All Wirral school finances