John Scurr Primary School: school finances
Large reserves
Holds £636k in reserve, 15% of a year's income.
Latest full year 2025-26, as a council-run school (CFR return, April–March). Tower Hamlets · Primary · Community 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 | £3.1m | £3.1m | +£7k | £146k | 426 |
2019-20 | £3.0m | £2.9m | +£107k | £253k | 414 |
2020-21 | £3.0m | £2.8m | +£158k | £411k | 428 |
2021-22 | £3.1m | £3.0m | +£93k | £504k | 437 |
2022-23 | £3.6m | £3.5m | +£36k | £540k | 442 |
2023-24 | £3.7m | £3.6m | +£165k | £705k | 449 |
2024-25 | £4.0m | £4.0m | +£67k | £772k | 446 |
2025-26 | £4.2m | £4.4m | -£136k | £636k | 452 |
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 £9,672 a pupil in total; similar schools typically spend £9,366.
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 | £3,988 | £4,183 | £3,689–£4,643 |
Support staff (e.g. TAs) | £1,787 | £1,903 | £1,161–£2,268 |
Supply staff | £298 | £137 | £61–£317 |
Admin and clerical | £364 | £438 | £335–£526 |
Premises | £477 | £481 | £378–£626 |
Energy | £107 | £112 | £89–£147 |
Learning resources & ICT | £384 | £262 | £202–£370 |
Bought-in services | £1,244 | £262 | £120–£713 |
Compare side by side with the 3 most similar schools
Which schools are these?
- Avenue Primary School In deficit
- Salisbury Primary School Healthy
- Gallions Primary School Large reserves
- Ealdham Primary School In deficit
- Goldbeaters Primary School In deficit
- Kingfisher Hall Primary Academy Large reserves
- Willow Tree Primary School In deficit
- Charles Dickens Primary School Tight
- Marion Richardson Primary School In deficit
- Dormers Wells Primary School Large reserves
- Tufnell Park Primary School Heading for deficit
- Torriano Primary School Large reserves
Where the money comes from, 2025-26
| Source | Amount | Per pupil |
|---|---|---|
Government grants | £4.3m | £9,491 |
SEN funding (part of grants) | £337k | £746 |
Pupil premium (part of grants) | £241k | £533 |
Self-generated (lettings, catering, donations) | £123k | £272 |
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?
- Spending on bought-in services is £1,244 a pupil, against a typical £262 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 John Scurr Primary School · All Tower Hamlets school finances