Sowe Valley Primary School: school finances
Tight
Holds £36k in reserve, under 3% of a year's income: little room for surprises.
Latest full year 2025-26, as a council-run school (CFR return, April–March). Coventry · 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 | £1.2m | £1.2m | -£3k | £82k | 199 |
2019-20 | £1.2m | £1.2m | -£2k | £80k | 192 |
2020-21 | £1.2m | £1.2m | +£13k | £93k | 197 |
2021-22 | £1.3m | £1.3m | -£24k | £69k | 193 |
2022-23 | £1.3m | £1.3m | -£18k | £51k | 208 |
2023-24 | £1.5m | £1.4m | +£54k | £105k | 226 |
2024-25 | £1.7m | £1.7m | -£16k | £89k | 232 |
2025-26 | £1.7m | £1.8m | -£53k | £36k | 210 |
Compared with similar schools
Similar schools are the 30 primary schools outside London closest in size and in the share of pupils on free school meals. Its reserve, as a share of income, is higher than 17% of them. It spends £8,519 a pupil in total; similar schools typically spend £7,455.
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 | £3,708 | £3,360 | £3,108–£3,623 |
Support staff (e.g. TAs) | £1,901 | £1,551 | £1,299–£1,771 |
Supply staff | £311 | £186 | £93–£403 |
Admin and clerical | £262 | £379 | £282–£449 |
Premises | £274 | £417 | £348–£490 |
Energy | £87 | £106 | £93–£148 |
Learning resources & ICT | £382 | £300 | £219–£380 |
Bought-in services | £728 | £231 | £112–£309 |
Compare side by side with the 3 most similar schools
Which schools are these?
- All Saints CofE Junior Academy Healthy
- Corngreaves Academy Large reserves
- Accrington St John with St Augustine Church of England Primary School Large reserves
- St Mary of Charity CofE (Aided) Primary School Large reserves
- St Patrick's Catholic Primary School, Walsall Healthy
- St Stephens Community Academy Tight
- Swinnow Primary School Heading for deficit
- Benfield Primary School Healthy
- Chadwell St Mary Primary School Large reserves
- Marden Lodge Primary School and Nursery Large reserves
- St Aidan's Catholic Primary School In deficit
- Parochial CofE Primary and Nursery School, Ashton-under-Lyne Large reserves
Where the money comes from, 2025-26
| Source | Amount | Per pupil |
|---|---|---|
Government grants | £1.7m | £7,881 |
SEN funding (part of grants) | £26k | £126 |
Pupil premium (part of grants) | £136k | £648 |
Self-generated (lettings, catering, donations) | £81k | £384 |
Questions to ask the school
Useful for parents, governors and PTA committees.
- What would the school do if costs rose unexpectedly, such as energy or a pay award that isn't fully funded?
- Spending on bought-in services is £728 a pupil, against a typical £231 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 Sowe Valley Primary School · All Coventry school finances