Watling View School: school finances
Healthy
Holds £297k in reserve, 8% of a year's income. It has spent more than it received for 4 years, so watch the trend.
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 | £2.3m | £2.2m | +£55k | £283k | 90 |
2019-20 | £2.5m | £2.3m | +£175k | £458k | 91 |
2020-21 | £2.5m | £2.2m | +£280k | £737k | 90 |
2021-22 | £2.6m | £2.4m | +£176k | £913k | 90 |
2022-23 | £2.5m | £2.9m | -£436k | £477k | 98 |
2023-24 | £3.1m | £3.1m | -£37k | £441k | 99 |
2024-25 | £3.5m | £3.6m | -£96k | £345k | 111 |
2025-26 | £3.9m | £3.9m | -£48k | £297k | 115 |
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 53% of them. It spends £34,345 a pupil in total; similar schools typically spend £30,825.
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 | £10,969 | £10,042 | £9,022–£11,329 |
Support staff (e.g. TAs) | £14,024 | £11,995 | £10,349–£14,563 |
Supply staff | £133 | £265 | £151–£828 |
Admin and clerical | £1,715 | £1,287 | £1,022–£1,663 |
Premises | £1,895 | £1,641 | £1,200–£2,638 |
Energy | £371 | £438 | £320–£499 |
Learning resources & ICT | £1,107 | £767 | £523–£984 |
Bought-in services | £1,525 | £551 | £198–£1,319 |
Compare side by side with the 3 most similar schools
Which schools are these?
- Hillside Specialist School and College Tight
- Castle EAST School Healthy
- Frank Wise School Healthy
- Kirkham Pear Tree School Healthy
- Mountjoy School Large reserves
- Brimble Hill Special School Large reserves
- Beckfoot Phoenix Healthy
- Churchward School Tight
- Ash Lea Academy Heading for deficit
- Mill Water School Large reserves
- Rawtenstall Cribden House Community Special School Healthy
- Cann Bridge School Healthy
Where the money comes from, 2025-26
| Source | Amount | Per pupil |
|---|---|---|
Government grants | £3.8m | £32,757 |
SEN funding (part of grants) | £2.0m | £17,143 |
Pupil premium (part of grants) | £57k | £495 |
Self-generated (lettings, catering, donations) | £142k | £1,239 |
Questions to ask the school
Useful for parents, governors and PTA committees.
- Spending on bought-in services is £1,525 a pupil, against a typical £551 for similar schools. What's behind that?
- Spending on learning resources & ict is £1,107 a pupil, against a typical £767 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 Watling View School · All Hertfordshire school finances