St Mark's Primary School: school finances
Large reserves
Holds £164k in reserve, 8% of a year's income.
Latest full year 2025-26, as a council-run school (CFR return, April–March). Merton · 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 | £1.5m | £1.5m | -£31k | £150k | 240 |
2019-20 | £1.5m | £1.5m | +£49k | £199k | 230 |
2020-21 | £1.6m | £1.5m | +£76k | £274k | 218 |
2021-22 | £1.6m | £1.6m | -£15k | £260k | 209 |
2022-23 | £1.6m | £1.7m | -£85k | £175k | 222 |
2023-24 | £1.8m | £1.8m | -£5k | £170k | 221 |
2024-25 | £1.9m | £1.9m | +£26k | £196k | 212 |
2025-26 | £2.0m | £2.0m | -£32k | £164k | 212 |
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 63% of them. It spends £9,534 a pupil in total; similar schools typically spend £9,996.
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 | £3,705 | £4,240 | £3,886–£4,838 |
Support staff (e.g. TAs) | £1,712 | £1,955 | £1,541–£2,281 |
Supply staff | £789 | £252 | £100–£516 |
Admin and clerical | £526 | £495 | £396–£611 |
Premises | £397 | £613 | £541–£718 |
Energy | £115 | £128 | £108–£160 |
Learning resources & ICT | £406 | £367 | £296–£487 |
Bought-in services | £760 | £398 | £295–£810 |
Compare side by side with the 3 most similar schools
Which schools are these?
- Morden Primary School Healthy
- Mowlem Primary School In deficit
- St Charles Catholic Primary School Healthy
- Deptford Park Primary School In deficit
- Northview Junior and Infant School Large reserves
- Viking Primary School Heading for deficit
- Kobi Nazrul Primary School Healthy
- Riverside Primary School Heading for deficit
- Grove Primary School Healthy
- East Acton Primary School Large reserves
- St Paul's Cray Church of England Primary School Large reserves
- St Alfege with St Peter's Church of England Primary School Tight
Where the money comes from, 2025-26
| Source | Amount | Per pupil |
|---|---|---|
Government grants | £2.0m | £9,256 |
SEN funding (part of grants) | £149k | £703 |
Pupil premium (part of grants) | £124k | £585 |
Self-generated (lettings, catering, donations) | £28k | £131 |
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 11% since 2018-19. How is the school planning for fewer pupils, and the funding that goes with them?
- Spending on supply staff is £789 a pupil, against a typical £252 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 St Mark's Primary School · All Merton school finances