The Avenue Special School: school finances
Large reserves
Holds £3.7m in reserve, 40% of a year's income.
Latest full year 2024-25, as a academy (accounts return, September–August). Reading · Not applicable · Academy special converter.
Academies in a trust don't hold money on their own: THE AVENUE SCHOOL SPECIAL NEEDS 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 | £4.9m | £4.6m | +£241k | £692k | 153 |
2019-20 | £5.4m | £5.7m | -£251k | £922k | 172 |
2020-21 | £6.0m | £5.8m | +£206k | £1.3m | 173 |
2021-22 | £6.3m | £6.2m | +£106k | £1.4m | 192 |
2022-23 | £7.0m | £6.8m | +£185k | £1.6m | 204 |
2023-24 | £8.6m | £7.3m | +£1.4m | £2.6m | 233 |
2024-25 | £9.1m | £8.0m | +£1.1m | £3.7m | 246 |
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 90% of them. It spends £32,435 a pupil in total; similar schools typically spend £29,106.
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 | £8,866 | £10,776 | £9,117–£11,668 |
Support staff (e.g. TAs) | £15,939 | £10,783 | £8,375–£12,214 |
Supply staff | £0 | £241 | £89–£605 |
Admin and clerical | £1,768 | £1,277 | £1,024–£1,588 |
Premises | £1,533 | £1,418 | £1,225–£1,786 |
Energy | £431 | £338 | £263–£444 |
Learning resources & ICT | £2,224 | £727 | £552–£1,033 |
Bought-in services | £293 | £718 | £476–£2,898 |
Compare side by side with the 3 most similar schools
Which schools are these?
- Winchelsea School Large reserves
- Booker Park Community School Large reserves
- Lady Zia Wernher School Large reserves
- Manor Mead School Large reserves
- Rigby Hall Day Special School Large reserves
- Exhall Grange Specialist School Large reserves
- Fordwater School, Chichester Tight
- Alderman Knight School Large reserves
- Chiltern Wood School Tight
- The Castle School Large reserves
- Daventry Hill School Large reserves
- Beaucroft Foundation School Healthy
Where the money comes from, 2024-25
| Source | Amount | Per pupil |
|---|---|---|
Government grants | £9.3m | £37,846 |
SEN funding (part of grants) | £6.2m | £25,199 |
Self-generated (lettings, catering, donations) | £130k | £528 |
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 learning resources & ict is £2,224 a pupil, against a typical £727 for similar schools. What's behind that?
- Spending on support staff (e.g. tas) is £15,939 a pupil, against a typical £10,783 for similar schools. What's behind that?
- Spending on admin and clerical is £1,768 a pupil, against a typical £1,277 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.
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