Townsend Church of England School: school finances
Heading for deficit
Has spent more than it received for 3 years running; at that rate its £684k reserve runs out in about 2 years.
Latest full year 2025-26, as a council-run school (CFR return, April–March). Hertfordshire · Secondary · Voluntary aided 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 | £3.8m | £4.0m | -£159k | £998k | 640 |
2019-20 | £4.0m | £4.0m | -£29k | £969k | 682 |
2020-21 | £4.4m | £4.3m | +£47k | £1.0m | 746 |
2021-22 | £5.0m | £4.9m | +£77k | £1.1m | 764 |
2022-23 | £5.5m | £5.1m | +£444k | £1.5m | 768 |
2023-24 | £6.1m | £6.1m | -£424 | £1.5m | 779 |
2024-25 | £6.6m | £7.3m | -£601k | £936k | 756 |
2025-26 | £6.9m | £7.1m | -£251k | £684k | 746 |
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 73% of them. It spends £9,539 a pupil in total; similar schools typically spend £8,031.
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 | £5,507 | £4,436 | £4,143–£4,788 |
Support staff (e.g. TAs) | £1,084 | £829 | £634–£1,028 |
Supply staff | £171 | £114 | £44–£212 |
Admin and clerical | £686 | £484 | £316–£579 |
Premises | £500 | £470 | £337–£569 |
Energy | £169 | £163 | £137–£198 |
Learning resources & ICT | £599 | £503 | £409–£668 |
Bought-in services | £182 | £100 | £69–£164 |
Compare side by side with the 3 most similar schools
Which schools are these?
- St Bernadette Catholic Secondary School Healthy
- Bury St Edmunds County High School Healthy
- West Somerset College Tight
- Fakenham Academy Large reserves
- Notre Dame RC School Large reserves
- Witchford Village College In deficit
- Trinity Academy St. Edwards Large reserves
- Anthony Gell School Healthy
- The Ramsey Academy, Halstead Large reserves
- Maidenhill School Large reserves
- Doncaster UTC Large reserves
- Robertsbridge Community College Healthy
Where the money comes from, 2025-26
| Source | Amount | Per pupil |
|---|---|---|
Government grants | £6.3m | £8,421 |
SEN funding (part of grants) | £148k | £198 |
Pupil premium (part of grants) | £180k | £241 |
Self-generated (lettings, catering, donations) | £582k | £780 |
Money raised by parents
TOWNSEND SCHOOL PARENT TEACHER ASSOCIATION (charity 289962, Registered) raised £1k in its latest year.
| Year ending | Income | Spending |
|---|---|---|
2025-07 | £1k | £415 |
2024-07 | £2k | £17k |
2023-07 | £1k | £0 |
2022-07 | £3k | £421 |
2021-07 | £4k | £7k |
Matched to this school by name and postcode from the Charity Commission register. Parent associations' money isn't in the school's accounts above.
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 £182 a pupil, against a typical £100 for similar schools. What's behind that?
- Spending on admin and clerical is £686 a pupil, against a typical £484 for similar schools. What's behind that?
- Spending on teachers is £5,507 a pupil, against a typical £4,436 for similar schools. What's behind that?
- How does the school decide what the money the parents' association raises is spent on?
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 Townsend Church of England School · All Hertfordshire school finances