The Oaks Secondary School: school finances
Healthy
Holds £391k in reserve, 5% of a year's income.
Latest full year 2025-26, as a council-run school (CFR return, April–March). County Durham · 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 | £4.5m | £4.4m | +£26k | £467k | 276 |
2019-20 | £4.9m | £5.0m | -£90k | £377k | 285 |
2020-21 | £5.2m | £5.3m | -£85k | £292k | 309 |
2021-22 | £5.8m | £5.9m | -£104k | £187k | 337 |
2022-23 | £6.6m | £6.7m | -£101k | £86k | 348 |
2024-25 | £7.9m | £7.9m | +£42k | £129k | 349 |
2025-26 | £8.4m | £8.1m | +£262k | £391k | 349 |
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 20% of them. It spends £23,212 a pupil in total; similar schools typically spend £25,560.
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 | £8,954 | £8,934 | £8,384–£10,138 |
Support staff (e.g. TAs) | £6,365 | £8,269 | £6,664–£9,781 |
Supply staff | £416 | £1,162 | £110–£2,152 |
Admin and clerical | £635 | £916 | £789–£1,199 |
Premises | £724 | £1,179 | £872–£1,681 |
Energy | £285 | £297 | £206–£421 |
Learning resources & ICT | £869 | £690 | £534–£1,036 |
Bought-in services | £1,049 | £554 | £261–£880 |
Compare side by side with the 3 most similar schools
Which schools are these?
- Queensbury School Large reserves
- Thomas Bewick School Large reserves
- Alt Bridge School Healthy
- Park Community Academy Large reserves
- Selly Oak Trust School In deficit
- Merstone School Heading for deficit
- Mayfield School Large reserves
- Springwood Primary School Healthy
- The Westminster School Large reserves
- Bents Green School In deficit
- Springwell School Large reserves
- Great Oaks School Healthy
Where the money comes from, 2025-26
| Source | Amount | Per pupil |
|---|---|---|
Government grants | £8.1m | £23,131 |
SEN funding (part of grants) | £855k | £2,450 |
Pupil premium (part of grants) | £261k | £747 |
Self-generated (lettings, catering, donations) | £290k | £830 |
Money raised by parents
FRIENDS OF THE OAKS SCHOOL (charity 1129361, Registered) raised £14k in its latest year.
| Year ending | Income | Spending |
|---|---|---|
2026-08 | £14k | £16k |
2025-08 | £14k | £20k |
2024-08 | £8k | £3k |
2023-08 | £3k | £3k |
2022-08 | £2k | £2k |
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 bought-in services is £1,049 a pupil, against a typical £554 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 The Oaks Secondary School · All County Durham school finances