Acre Wood Academy: school finances
Tight
Holds £50k in reserve, under 3% of a year's income: little room for surprises.
Latest full year 2024-25, as a council-run school (CFR return, April–March). East Sussex · Not applicable · Academy special 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 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 | £2.2m | £2.3m | -£87k | £167k | 111 |
2019-20 | £2.6m | £2.6m | -£15k | £152k | 118 |
2020-21 | £2.7m | £2.6m | +£44k | £196k | 123 |
2021-22 | £2.9m | £2.9m | -£35k | £161k | 131 |
2022-23 | £3.1m | £3.2m | -£88k | £73k | 133 |
2023-24 | £3.3m | £3.2m | +£101k | £174k | 141 |
2024-25 | £3.7m | £3.8m | -£125k | £50k | 143 |
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 17% of them. It spends £26,710 a pupil in total; similar schools typically spend £29,892.
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 | £8,889 | £10,848 | £9,613–£12,506 |
Support staff (e.g. TAs) | £7,281 | £10,263 | £8,660–£14,361 |
Supply staff | £1,656 | £279 | £87–£801 |
Admin and clerical | £934 | £1,238 | £798–£1,734 |
Premises | £1,221 | £1,401 | £1,034–£2,205 |
Energy | £305 | £361 | £267–£455 |
Learning resources & ICT | £788 | £983 | £694–£1,302 |
Bought-in services | £4,106 | £1,072 | £403–£1,853 |
Compare side by side with the 3 most similar schools
Which schools are these?
- Medina House School Large reserves
- The Wherry School Large reserves
- Heritage House School Large reserves
- Fairfield School Tight
- Sherbrook Primary School Large reserves
- Herons Dale School Tight
- St Anne's School and Sixth Form College In deficit
- Valence School Large reserves
- Linden Bridge School Tight
- Baytree School Healthy
- Kingsley Special Academy Healthy
- Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee School, Horsham In deficit
Where the money comes from, 2024-25
| Source | Amount | Per pupil |
|---|---|---|
Government grants | £3.6m | £25,492 |
SEN funding (part of grants) | £1.9m | £13,039 |
Pupil premium (part of grants) | £47k | £327 |
Self-generated (lettings, catering, donations) | £49k | £346 |
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 supply staff is £1,656 a pupil, against a typical £279 for similar schools. What's behind that?
- Spending on bought-in services is £4,106 a pupil, against a typical £1,072 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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