Arden: school finances
Large reserves
Holds £2.3m in reserve, 18% of a year's income.
Latest full year 2024-25, as a academy (accounts return, September–August). Solihull · Secondary · Academy converter.
Academies in a trust don't hold money on their own: ARDEN MULTI ACADEMY TRUST can move money between its schools. The reserve includes this school's per-pupil share of the trust's central reserve.
Reserve at the end of each year, 2018-19 to 2024-25
Income and spending, 2018-19 to 2024-25
Income Spending
Show the figures as a table
| Year | Income | Spending | Balance | Reserve | Pupils |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2018-19 | £8.2m | £7.7m | +£513k | £769k | 1,703 |
2019-20 | £9.6m | £8.7m | +£941k | £1.2m | 1,774 |
2020-21 | £10.4m | £9.2m | +£1.2m | £1.7m | 1,813 |
2021-22 | £10.5m | £9.7m | +£876k | £1.9m | 1,816 |
2022-23 | £11.3m | £10.1m | +£1.2m | £2.3m | 1,805 |
2023-24 | £11.6m | £11.0m | +£633k | £2.1m | 1,820 |
2024-25 | £12.3m | £11.5m | +£794k | £2.3m | 1,817 |
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 97% of them. It spends £6,336 a pupil in total; similar schools typically spend £7,070.
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 | £4,073 | £4,202 | £3,896–£4,364 |
Support staff (e.g. TAs) | £513 | £708 | £611–£826 |
Supply staff | £114 | £62 | £34–£83 |
Admin and clerical | £262 | £377 | £294–£456 |
Premises | £298 | £359 | £283–£436 |
Energy | £124 | £114 | £103–£155 |
Learning resources & ICT | £331 | £501 | £412–£664 |
Bought-in services | £28 | £75 | £38–£122 |
Compare side by side with the 3 most similar schools
Which schools are these?
- The FitzWimarc School Large reserves
- Weald School, The In deficit
- Brookfield Community School Tight
- Lymm High School Large reserves
- Whitley Bay High School Heading for deficit
- Finham Park School Large reserves
- The Arthur Terry School In deficit
- Bohunt School Large reserves
- Moulsham High School Large reserves
- George Abbot School Healthy
- St John's Marlborough Large reserves
- Ripley St Thomas Church of England Academy Large reserves
Where the money comes from, 2024-25
| Source | Amount | Per pupil |
|---|---|---|
Government grants | £12.1m | £6,633 |
SEN funding (part of grants) | £133k | £73 |
Self-generated (lettings, catering, donations) | £713k | £392 |
Money raised by parents
ARDEN SCHOOL PARENTS TEACHERS FRIENDS ASSOCIATION (charity 1001699, Registered) raised £51k in its latest year.
| Year ending | Income | Spending |
|---|---|---|
2025-08 | £51k | £24k |
2024-08 | £37k | £22k |
2023-08 | £39k | £33k |
2022-08 | £72k | £61k |
2021-08 | £28k | £33k |
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.
- What are the reserves set aside for, and when will they be spent on current pupils?
- Spending on supply staff is £114 a pupil, against a typical £62 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 Arden · All Solihull school finances