St Mary Magdalene CofE Voluntary Controlled Primary School: school finances
Large reserves
Holds £160k in reserve, 10% of a year's income.
Latest full year 2025-26, as a council-run school (CFR return, April–March). Sandwell · Primary · Voluntary controlled 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 | £1.1m | £1.2m | -£36k | £152k | 222 |
2019-20 | £1.2m | £1.2m | -£22k | £131k | 224 |
2020-21 | £1.2m | £1.2m | +£61k | £192k | 223 |
2021-22 | £1.3m | £1.2m | +£18k | £210k | 224 |
2022-23 | £1.3m | £1.4m | -£37k | £173k | 228 |
2023-24 | £1.4m | £1.5m | -£11k | £162k | 228 |
2024-25 | £1.5m | £1.5m | +£6k | £167k | 225 |
2025-26 | £1.6m | £1.7m | -£8k | £160k | 223 |
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 67% of them. It spends £7,432 a pupil in total; similar schools typically spend £7,090.
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 | £3,239 | £3,111 | £2,952–£3,591 |
Support staff (e.g. TAs) | £1,480 | £1,535 | £1,331–£1,933 |
Supply staff | £144 | £116 | £52–£265 |
Admin and clerical | £344 | £315 | £283–£379 |
Premises | £355 | £386 | £323–£479 |
Energy | £72 | £103 | £82–£129 |
Learning resources & ICT | £423 | £272 | £205–£375 |
Bought-in services | £497 | £158 | £77–£245 |
Compare side by side with the 3 most similar schools
Which schools are these?
- Middlethorpe Primary Academy Tight
- St Martin's CofE Primary School Healthy
- Butler's Hill Infant and Nursery School Healthy
- Newbold Verdon Primary School In deficit
- St Thomas Cantilupe CofE Academy Healthy
- St Teresa's Catholic Primary School Healthy
- St Anne's Catholic Primary School Healthy
- Oakfields Primary School, Horsham Heading for deficit
- Frogmore Junior School Large reserves
- Godstone Primary and Nursery School Large reserves
- St Michael's Primary School and Nursery, Colchester Large reserves
- Two Gates Primary School In deficit
Where the money comes from, 2025-26
| Source | Amount | Per pupil |
|---|---|---|
Government grants | £1.6m | £7,151 |
SEN funding (part of grants) | £76k | £343 |
Pupil premium (part of grants) | £88k | £394 |
Self-generated (lettings, catering, donations) | £55k | £246 |
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 £497 a pupil, against a typical £158 for similar schools. What's behind that?
- Spending on learning resources & ict is £423 a pupil, against a typical £272 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.
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