West Lakes Academy: school finances
Large reserves
Holds £1.2m in reserve, 13% of a year's income.
Latest full year 2023-24, as a academy (accounts return, September–August). Cumberland · Secondary · Academy sponsor led.
Academies in a trust don't hold money on their own: CHANGING LIVES LEARNING TRUST can move money between its schools. The DfE doesn't publish this school's share of the trust's central reserve for this year, so the reserve shown is the school's own.
Reserve at the end of each year, 2018-19 to 2023-24
Income and spending, 2018-19 to 2023-24
Income Spending
Show the figures as a table
| Year | Income | Spending | Balance | Reserve | Pupils |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2018-19 | £7.2m | £7.4m | -£267k | £111k | 1,237 |
2019-20 | £7.5m | £7.5m | -£60k | £507k | 1,232 |
2020-21 | £8.1m | £6.8m | +£1.3m | £1.7m | 1,199 |
2021-22 | £8.0m | £7.9m | +£98k | £677k | 1,218 |
2022-23 | £8.3m | £7.9m | +£445k | £1.1m | 1,021 |
2023-24 | £9.4m | £9.1m | +£355k | £1.2m | 1,148 |
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 83% of them. It spends £7,895 a pupil in total; similar schools typically spend £7,694.
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 | £4,013 | £4,218 | £4,075–£4,429 |
Support staff (e.g. TAs) | £1,374 | £876 | £711–£1,107 |
Supply staff | £241 | £111 | £55–£176 |
Admin and clerical | £375 | £442 | £327–£531 |
Premises | £443 | £342 | £253–£466 |
Energy | £211 | £149 | £118–£181 |
Learning resources & ICT | £532 | £458 | £402–£597 |
Bought-in services | £138 | £83 | £43–£153 |
Compare side by side with the 3 most similar schools
Which schools are these?
- The Newark Academy In deficit
- Liskeard School and Community College Large reserves
- St Edmund's Catholic School Large reserves
- Selby High School Specialist School for the Arts and Science Healthy
- Christ The King College In deficit
- Northgate High School Tight
- Lode Heath School Large reserves
- The Whitstable School Large reserves
- Moorside High School Large reserves
- Ditton Park Academy Large reserves
- Bristol Cathedral Choir School Tight
- Corby Business Academy In deficit
Where the money comes from, 2023-24
| Source | Amount | Per pupil |
|---|---|---|
Government grants | £8.9m | £7,757 |
SEN funding (part of grants) | £334k | £291 |
Self-generated (lettings, catering, donations) | £513k | £447 |
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?
- Spending on supply staff is £241 a pupil, against a typical £111 for similar schools. What's behind that?
- Spending on support staff (e.g. tas) is £1,374 a pupil, against a typical £876 for similar schools. What's behind that?
- Spending on energy is £211 a pupil, against a typical £149 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 West Lakes Academy · All Cumberland school finances