Breakspeare School: school finances
Large reserves
Holds £909k in reserve, 18% of a year's income.
Latest full year 2025-26, as a council-run school (CFR return, April–March). Hertfordshire · 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 | £2.2m | £2.2m | +£691 | £221k | 86 |
2019-20 | £2.3m | £2.2m | +£99k | £320k | 84 |
2020-21 | £2.5m | £2.3m | +£115k | £436k | 126 |
2021-22 | £2.7m | £2.5m | +£157k | £593k | 97 |
2022-23 | £2.8m | £2.8m | +£9k | £602k | 94 |
2023-24 | £3.3m | £3.2m | +£34k | £636k | 106 |
2024-25 | £4.4m | £4.3m | +£83k | £719k | 139 |
2025-26 | £5.2m | £5.0m | +£189k | £909k | 157 |
Compared with similar schools
Similar schools are the 30 special 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 70% of them. It spends £31,689 a pupil in total; similar schools typically spend £26,134.
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 | £10,438 | £9,852 | £8,771–£10,877 |
Support staff (e.g. TAs) | £14,383 | £9,459 | £7,173–£11,102 |
Supply staff | £176 | £424 | £200–£1,004 |
Admin and clerical | £1,082 | £1,229 | £891–£1,524 |
Premises | £1,033 | £1,487 | £962–£2,050 |
Energy | £401 | £345 | £239–£474 |
Learning resources & ICT | £643 | £886 | £519–£1,296 |
Bought-in services | £2,005 | £549 | £255–£1,804 |
Compare side by side with the 3 most similar schools
Which schools are these?
- Treetops Free School Large reserves
- The Abbey School Healthy
- Highbury School Large reserves
- West Hill School Tight
- Endeavour Co-Operative Academy Large reserves
- Hollywater School Large reserves
- Reynalds Cross School Heading for deficit
- Corley Academy In deficit
- The Forest School Healthy
- Dorin Park School & Specialist SEN College Large reserves
- Ash Field Academy Tight
- Fox Grove School Tight
Where the money comes from, 2025-26
| Source | Amount | Per pupil |
|---|---|---|
Government grants | £5.1m | £32,475 |
SEN funding (part of grants) | £2.6m | £16,798 |
Pupil premium (part of grants) | £71k | £451 |
Self-generated (lettings, catering, donations) | £88k | £559 |
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 £2,005 a pupil, against a typical £549 for similar schools. What's behind that?
- Spending on support staff (e.g. tas) is £14,383 a pupil, against a typical £9,459 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 Breakspeare School · All Hertfordshire school finances