Great Arley School: school finances
Healthy
Holds £211k in reserve, 7% of a year's income. It has spent more than it received for 2 years, so watch the trend.
Latest full year 2025-26, as a council-run school (CFR return, April–March). Lancashire · 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 | £1.7m | £1.7m | +£28k | £199k | 100 |
2019-20 | £1.8m | £1.8m | -£31k | £168k | 100 |
2020-21 | £2.0m | £2.0m | -£40k | £128k | 105 |
2021-22 | £2.2m | £2.2m | -£4k | £125k | 119 |
2022-23 | £2.5m | £2.4m | +£59k | £184k | 107 |
2023-24 | £2.7m | £2.6m | +£82k | £266k | 102 |
2024-25 | £2.8m | £2.8m | -£10k | £256k | 107 |
2025-26 | £2.9m | £3.0m | -£45k | £211k | 99 |
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 47% of them. It spends £30,131 a pupil in total; similar schools typically spend £29,316.
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 | £13,001 | £10,725 | £9,511–£13,742 |
Support staff (e.g. TAs) | £8,994 | £8,570 | £7,266–£10,840 |
Supply staff | £551 | £919 | £335–£1,755 |
Admin and clerical | £1,549 | £1,307 | £901–£1,672 |
Premises | £1,494 | £1,497 | £910–£1,930 |
Energy | £258 | £347 | £253–£473 |
Learning resources & ICT | £1,616 | £816 | £598–£1,327 |
Bought-in services | £1,183 | £942 | £249–£2,209 |
Compare side by side with the 3 most similar schools
Which schools are these?
- Downland School Large reserves
- St Nicholas School Large reserves
- Priestley Smith School Large reserves
- Swanwick School and Sports College Large reserves
- Courtlands School Healthy
- The Bridge School Large reserves
- Brook Green Centre for Learning Healthy
- Gosberton House Academy Large reserves
- Merefield School Large reserves
- The Eresby School, Spilsby Large reserves
- Longspee Academy Tight
- The Cavendish High Academy Large reserves
Where the money comes from, 2025-26
| Source | Amount | Per pupil |
|---|---|---|
Government grants | £2.9m | £29,021 |
SEN funding (part of grants) | £1.3m | £13,419 |
Pupil premium (part of grants) | £79k | £798 |
Self-generated (lettings, catering, donations) | £65k | £656 |
Money raised by parents
GREAT ARLEY SCHOOL PTFA (charity 1150263, Registered) raised £8k in its latest year.
| Year ending | Income | Spending |
|---|---|---|
2025-11 | £8k | £12k |
2024-11 | £20k | £19k |
2023-11 | £6k | £4k |
2022-11 | £6k | £3k |
2021-11 | £2k | £4k |
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.
- Spending on learning resources & ict is £1,616 a pupil, against a typical £816 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 Great Arley School · All Lancashire school finances