St Matthew's CofE Primary School: school finances
In deficit
In deficit by £49k, 3% of a year's income: it has spent more over the years than it received.
Latest full year 2025-26, as a council-run school (CFR return, April–March). Merton · 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 | £1.2m | £1.2m | -£15k | -£35k | 198 |
2019-20 | £1.2m | £1.2m | -£17k | -£52k | 202 |
2020-21 | £1.3m | £1.3m | +£55k | £3k | 206 |
2021-22 | £1.3m | £1.4m | -£13k | -£10k | 190 |
2022-23 | £1.3m | £1.4m | -£73k | -£83k | 186 |
2023-24 | £1.4m | £1.4m | +£9k | -£74k | 205 |
2024-25 | £1.5m | £1.5m | +£31k | -£43k | 199 |
2025-26 | £1.6m | £1.6m | -£6k | -£49k | 204 |
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 20% of them. It spends £8,017 a pupil in total; similar schools typically spend £8,235.
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 | £3,882 | £3,676 | £3,392–£3,980 |
Support staff (e.g. TAs) | £1,002 | £1,382 | £1,091–£1,617 |
Supply staff | £275 | £179 | £91–£361 |
Admin and clerical | £456 | £473 | £335–£571 |
Premises | £423 | £485 | £378–£609 |
Energy | £97 | £109 | £92–£147 |
Learning resources & ICT | £438 | £367 | £266–£462 |
Bought-in services | £659 | £298 | £193–£471 |
Compare side by side with the 3 most similar schools
Which schools are these?
- Barnehurst Infant School Healthy
- Trent CofE Primary School In deficit
- Christ Church CofE Primary School Tight
- St Anselm's Catholic Primary School Large reserves
- South Harringay Infant School Large reserves
- St Vincent's Catholic Primary School Heading for deficit
- St Peter's Primary School Healthy
- Belmont Infant School In deficit
- Hadley Wood Primary School Healthy
- John Betts Primary School Large reserves
- Nanaksar Primary School Heading for deficit
- Horniman Primary School In deficit
Where the money comes from, 2025-26
| Source | Amount | Per pupil |
|---|---|---|
Government grants | £1.4m | £6,964 |
SEN funding (part of grants) | £30k | £145 |
Pupil premium (part of grants) | £23k | £111 |
Self-generated (lettings, catering, donations) | £209k | £1,024 |
Money raised by parents
ST MATTHEW FIRST SCHOOL PARENT TEACHERS ASSOCIATION (charity 1016173, Registered) raised £56k in its latest year.
| Year ending | Income | Spending |
|---|---|---|
2025-09 | £56k | £75k |
2024-09 | £57k | £56k |
2023-09 | £41k | £34k |
2022-09 | £40k | £33k |
2021-09 | £8k | £11k |
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.
- Is there a deficit recovery plan agreed with the council, and when does the school expect to be back in balance?
- What has been cut or changed to close the gap, and how does that affect classes and support staff?
- Spending on bought-in services is £659 a pupil, against a typical £298 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 Matthew's CofE Primary School · All Merton school finances