Thorpe Hall Primary School: school finances
Heading for deficit
Has spent more than it received for 3 years running; at that rate its £244k reserve runs out in about 1 year.
Latest full year 2025-26, as a council-run school (CFR return, April–March). Waltham Forest · 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 | £2.7m | £2.7m | +£1k | £385k | 444 |
2019-20 | £2.6m | £2.5m | +£147k | £532k | 418 |
2020-21 | £2.5m | £2.4m | +£140k | £672k | 409 |
2021-22 | £2.8m | £2.8m | -£24k | £648k | 384 |
2022-23 | £2.6m | £2.4m | +£235k | £882k | 350 |
2023-24 | £2.5m | £2.7m | -£152k | £730k | 348 |
2024-25 | £2.7m | £2.9m | -£255k | £475k | 350 |
2025-26 | £2.9m | £3.1m | -£231k | £244k | 349 |
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 50% of them. It spends £8,877 a pupil in total; similar schools typically spend £8,231.
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 | £3,324 | £3,775 | £3,237–£4,066 |
Support staff (e.g. TAs) | £1,458 | £1,344 | £1,004–£1,758 |
Supply staff | £467 | £259 | £90–£504 |
Admin and clerical | £422 | £409 | £310–£522 |
Premises | £706 | £451 | £394–£528 |
Energy | £162 | £133 | £95–£157 |
Learning resources & ICT | £311 | £275 | £210–£333 |
Bought-in services | £650 | £258 | £118–£583 |
Compare side by side with the 3 most similar schools
Which schools are these?
- St Chad's Catholic Primary School Heading for deficit
- Blair Peach Primary School Heading for deficit
- Earlham Primary School Tight
- Winterbourne Nursery and Infants' School In deficit
- Whybridge Junior School Large reserves
- Drapers' Maylands Primary School Large reserves
- Weald Rise Primary School Large reserves
- Strand-on-the-Green Junior School In deficit
- Blue Gate Fields Infants' School Healthy
- Montbelle Primary School Healthy
- Royal Wharf Primary School Large reserves
- Worsley Bridge Primary School Large reserves
Where the money comes from, 2025-26
| Source | Amount | Per pupil |
|---|---|---|
Government grants | £2.6m | £7,555 |
SEN funding (part of grants) | £133k | £380 |
Pupil premium (part of grants) | £161k | £462 |
Self-generated (lettings, catering, donations) | £231k | £660 |
Questions to ask the school
Useful for parents, governors and PTA committees.
- What is the plan to stop spending more than the school receives each year?
- Pupil numbers have fallen 21% since 2018-19. How is the school planning for fewer pupils, and the funding that goes with them?
- Spending on bought-in services is £650 a pupil, against a typical £258 for similar schools. What's behind that?
- Spending on premises is £706 a pupil, against a typical £451 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 Thorpe Hall Primary School · All Waltham Forest school finances