Waterside Academy: school finances
Large reserves
Holds £745k in reserve, 27% of a year's income.
Latest full year 2023-24, as a council-run school (CFR return, April–March). Sefton · Not applicable · Academy alternative provision sponsor led.
Earlier years come from this school's return before it became an academy (a different DfE number).
A 2024-25 return is published too, but it covers part of a year or leaves out the income or reserve figure, so the latest complete year is shown.
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 | £2.8m | £2.6m | +£115k | £255k | 125 |
2019-20 | £2.6m | £2.8m | -£195k | £60k | 120 |
2020-21 | £2.5m | £2.7m | -£133k | -£73k | 113 |
2021-22 | £2.6m | £2.6m | +£14k | -£59k | 95 |
2022-23 | £2.7m | £2.4m | +£322k | £263k | 83 |
2023-24 | £2.8m | £2.3m | +£482k | £745k | 105 |
Compared with similar schools
Similar schools are the 30 alternative-provision 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 £22,180 a pupil in total; similar schools typically spend £28,780.
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 | £9,870 | £11,506 | £9,642–£14,671 |
Support staff (e.g. TAs) | £3,508 | £5,756 | £4,421–£8,320 |
Supply staff | £763 | £1,030 | £544–£1,945 |
Admin and clerical | £808 | £1,466 | £1,170–£2,341 |
Premises | £1,174 | £1,078 | £900–£1,615 |
Energy | £511 | £393 | £212–£589 |
Learning resources & ICT | £1,782 | £1,265 | £930–£2,239 |
Bought-in services | £2,593 | £845 | £244–£2,967 |
Compare side by side with the 3 most similar schools
Which schools are these?
- Launchpad Centre In deficit
- Leicester Partnership School Large reserves
- New Heights High School Large reserves
- The Quay School Large reserves
- The Grove Partnership Large reserves
- Oswaldtwistle School Large reserves
- Enrich Academy Large reserves
- Sandwell Community School Large reserves
- Rotherham Aspire Tight
- Larches High School Healthy
- Chadwick High School Large reserves
- The Vireo Academy Large reserves
Where the money comes from, 2023-24
| Source | Amount | Per pupil |
|---|---|---|
Government grants | £2.8m | £26,757 |
SEN funding (part of grants) | £745k | £7,093 |
Pupil premium (part of grants) | £58k | £548 |
Self-generated (lettings, catering, donations) | £1k | £13 |
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?
- Could any of the surplus be clawed back under the council's scheme for financing schools?
- Pupil numbers have fallen 16% since 2018-19. How is the school planning for fewer pupils, and the funding that goes with them?
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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