St Margaret's Lee CofE Primary School: school finances
Large reserves
Holds £259k in reserve, 15% of a year's income. It has been drawing on it for 4 years.
Latest full year 2025-26, as a council-run school (CFR return, April–March). Lewisham · Primary · Voluntary aided school.
Reserve at the end of each year, 2018-19 to 2025-26
Income and spending, 2018-19 to 2025-26
Income Spending
Show the figures as a table
| Year | Income | Spending | Balance | Reserve | Pupils |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2018-19 | £1.4m | £1.3m | +£62k | £292k | 226 |
2019-20 | £1.4m | £1.3m | +£61k | £353k | 224 |
2020-21 | £1.4m | £1.4m | -£55k | £297k | 225 |
2021-22 | £1.4m | £1.4m | +£41k | £338k | 218 |
2022-23 | £1.5m | £1.5m | -£20k | £318k | 207 |
2023-24 | £1.6m | £1.6m | -£23k | £295k | 202 |
2024-25 | £1.7m | £1.7m | -£12k | £283k | 204 |
2025-26 | £1.8m | £1.8m | -£25k | £259k | 206 |
Compared with similar schools
Similar schools are the 30 primary schools in 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 £8,649 a pupil in total; similar schools typically spend £8,858.
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 | £4,440 | £3,864 | £3,672–£4,099 |
Support staff (e.g. TAs) | £1,286 | £1,429 | £1,194–£1,913 |
Supply staff | £33 | £177 | £79–£341 |
Admin and clerical | £459 | £454 | £377–£587 |
Premises | £751 | £522 | £430–£624 |
Energy | £115 | £117 | £91–£181 |
Learning resources & ICT | £388 | £338 | £222–£414 |
Bought-in services | £631 | £453 | £222–£729 |
Compare side by side with the 3 most similar schools
Which schools are these?
- St Andrew's Southgate Primary School (CE) In deficit
- Dorothy Barley Infants' School In deficit
- Bourne Primary School Tight
- Bishop John Robinson Church of England Primary School In deficit
- St Edmund's Catholic School In deficit
- St Vincent's Catholic Primary School In deficit
- Brooklands Primary School Large reserves
- Malorees Primary School In deficit
- Brindishe Lee School Large reserves
- St Paul's CofE Primary School NW7 Tight
- Scargill Infant School Large reserves
- St Mary's Catholic Infant School Large reserves
Where the money comes from, 2025-26
| Source | Amount | Per pupil |
|---|---|---|
Government grants | £1.6m | £7,760 |
SEN funding (part of grants) | £44k | £216 |
Pupil premium (part of grants) | £87k | £424 |
Self-generated (lettings, catering, donations) | £158k | £769 |
Money raised by parents
THE FRIENDS OF ST MARGARET'S, LEE, CHURCH OF ENGLAND SCHOOL (charity 270902, Registered) raised £21k in its latest year.
| Year ending | Income | Spending |
|---|---|---|
2025-07 | £21k | £25k |
2024-07 | £28k | £31k |
2023-07 | £22k | £22k |
2022-07 | £20k | £18k |
2021-07 | £6k | £8k |
Matched to this school by name and postcode from the Charity Commission register. Parent associations' money isn't in the school's accounts above.
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 9% since 2018-19. How is the school planning for fewer pupils, and the funding that goes with them?
- Spending on premises is £751 a pupil, against a typical £522 for similar schools. What's behind that?
- How does the school decide what the money the parents' association raises is spent on?
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 St Margaret's Lee CofE Primary School · All Lewisham school finances