Portland Academy: school finances
Large reserves
Holds £964k in reserve, 18% of a year's income.
Latest full year 2024-25, as a academy (accounts return, September–August). Sunderland · Not applicable · Academy special converter.
Academies in a trust don't hold money on their own: THE ASCENT ACADEMIES' 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 | £3.4m | £3.2m | +£136k | £0 | 167 |
2019-20 | £3.4m | £3.2m | +£230k | £0 | 172 |
2020-21 | £3.3m | £3.1m | +£207k | £0 | 174 |
2021-22 | £3.7m | £3.4m | +£248k | £0 | 185 |
2022-23 | £4.2m | £3.8m | +£341k | £0 | 190 |
2023-24 | £4.9m | £4.4m | +£517k | £0 | 204 |
2024-25 | £5.4m | £4.9m | +£432k | £964k | 208 |
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 83% of them. It spends £23,774 a pupil in total; similar schools typically spend £28,224.
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 | £17,861 | £10,193 | £8,594–£12,129 |
Support staff (e.g. TAs) | £880 | £10,725 | £7,092–£12,438 |
Supply staff | £1,534 | £908 | £342–£1,613 |
Admin and clerical | £43 | £1,010 | £724–£1,519 |
Premises | £683 | £1,394 | £1,082–£1,810 |
Energy | £486 | £407 | £283–£651 |
Learning resources & ICT | £630 | £717 | £522–£1,085 |
Bought-in services | £43 | £473 | £141–£1,528 |
Compare side by side with the 3 most similar schools
Which schools are these?
- Priory Woods School Heading for deficit
- Evergreen Primary School Large reserves
- Hope Wood Academy Large reserves
- Ridgewood Community High School Healthy
- Mary Rose Academy Healthy
- Childwall Abbey School Tight
- Hamilton School In deficit
- Newman School Large reserves
- Ganton School Large reserves
- Barbara Priestman Academy Large reserves
- Victoria School Large reserves
- Penn Fields School Large reserves
Where the money comes from, 2024-25
| Source | Amount | Per pupil |
|---|---|---|
Government grants | £5.5m | £26,361 |
SEN funding (part of grants) | £2.4m | £11,332 |
Self-generated (lettings, catering, donations) | £90k | £433 |
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 teachers is £17,861 a pupil, against a typical £10,193 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 Portland Academy · All Sunderland school finances