The Excel Academy: school finances
Tight
Holds £33k in reserve, under 3% of a year's income: little room for surprises.
Latest full year 2024-25, as a academy (accounts return, September–August). Stoke-on-Trent · Secondary · Academy converter.
Academies in a trust don't hold money on their own: ALPHA 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 | £5.7m | £5.5m | +£197k | £210k | 1,037 |
2019-20 | £6.4m | £6.0m | +£457k | £310k | 1,073 |
2020-21 | £7.0m | £6.5m | +£488k | £0 | 1,088 |
2021-22 | £7.4m | £7.1m | +£271k | £0 | 1,114 |
2022-23 | £7.5m | £7.6m | -£81k | £383k | 1,144 |
2023-24 | £8.5m | £8.2m | +£295k | £312k | 1,189 |
2024-25 | £9.5m | £9.0m | +£481k | £33k | 1,216 |
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 10% of them. It spends £7,387 a pupil in total; similar schools typically spend £7,919.
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 | £3,905 | £4,537 | £4,074–£4,931 |
Support staff (e.g. TAs) | £752 | £860 | £661–£1,000 |
Supply staff | £215 | £156 | £47–£285 |
Admin and clerical | £255 | £395 | £304–£503 |
Premises | £893 | £456 | £328–£786 |
Energy | £35 | £139 | £113–£189 |
Learning resources & ICT | £711 | £497 | £323–£533 |
Bought-in services | £70 | £81 | £50–£187 |
Compare side by side with the 3 most similar schools
Which schools are these?
- St Anne's Catholic School Heading for deficit
- Campion School Large reserves
- St Mary's Catholic Academy Tight
- The North School Healthy
- Priory School Large reserves
- Slough and Eton Church of England Business and Enterprise College Large reserves
- Park Hall Academy Large reserves
- The Academy at Shotton Hall Large reserves
- Ormiston Sandwell Community Academy Large reserves
- Ifield Community College Large reserves
- Queen Elizabeth School Large reserves
- The Heath School Large reserves
Where the money comes from, 2024-25
| Source | Amount | Per pupil |
|---|---|---|
Government grants | £9.4m | £7,697 |
SEN funding (part of grants) | £122k | £100 |
Self-generated (lettings, catering, donations) | £145k | £119 |
Questions to ask the school
Useful for parents, governors and PTA committees.
- What would the school do if costs rose unexpectedly, such as energy or a pay award that isn't fully funded?
- Spending on premises is £893 a pupil, against a typical £456 for similar schools. What's behind that?
- Spending on learning resources & ict is £711 a pupil, against a typical £497 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 The Excel Academy · All Stoke-on-Trent school finances