St Oswald's Church of England Primary School: school finances
Large reserves
Holds £194k in reserve, 11% of a year's income. It has been drawing on it for 2 years.
Latest full year 2025-26, as a council-run school (CFR return, April–March). Sefton · 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 | +£29k | £123k | 230 |
2019-20 | £1.2m | £1.3m | -£75k | £49k | 222 |
2020-21 | £1.3m | £1.2m | +£53k | £101k | 222 |
2021-22 | £1.3m | £1.3m | +£13k | £115k | 217 |
2022-23 | £1.5m | £1.5m | +£42k | £157k | 224 |
2023-24 | £1.6m | £1.5m | +£51k | £208k | 219 |
2024-25 | £1.7m | £1.7m | -£5k | £203k | 216 |
2025-26 | £1.8m | £1.8m | -£9k | £194k | 212 |
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 £8,525 a pupil in total; similar schools typically spend £7,650.
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 | £3,734 | £3,438 | £3,180–£3,785 |
Support staff (e.g. TAs) | £1,545 | £1,670 | £1,333–£1,955 |
Supply staff | £260 | £156 | £65–£283 |
Admin and clerical | £297 | £408 | £335–£458 |
Premises | £634 | £434 | £339–£533 |
Energy | £142 | £112 | £84–£128 |
Learning resources & ICT | £321 | £298 | £249–£465 |
Bought-in services | £442 | £242 | £91–£328 |
Compare side by side with the 3 most similar schools
Which schools are these?
- Outwood Primary Academy Newstead Green Large reserves
- Berrycoombe School In deficit
- Charnwood Primary Academy Large reserves
- Moorthorpe Primary School With Inclusion Resource Large reserves
- St Aidan's Catholic Primary School, Wallsend Heading for deficit
- Little Bloxwich CofE VC Primary School Large reserves
- The Mill Academy Heading for deficit
- Carlton Hill Primary School In deficit
- St Philip's CofE Primary School Healthy
- Marshlands Primary School Large reserves
- Porter Croft Church of England Primary Academy Large reserves
- Bredbury Green Primary School In deficit
Where the money comes from, 2025-26
| Source | Amount | Per pupil |
|---|---|---|
Government grants | £1.8m | £8,311 |
SEN funding (part of grants) | £170k | £799 |
Pupil premium (part of grants) | £134k | £629 |
Self-generated (lettings, catering, donations) | £37k | £174 |
Money raised by parents
ST OSWALD'S CE PRIMARY PARENTS AND FRIENDS ASSOCIATION (charity 1098411, Registered) raised £1k in its latest year.
| Year ending | Income | Spending |
|---|---|---|
2024-04 | £1k | £2k |
2023-04 | £1k | £5k |
2022-04 | £0 | £345 |
2021-04 | £0 | £345 |
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.
- 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 £442 a pupil, against a typical £242 for similar schools. What's behind that?
- Spending on premises is £634 a pupil, against a typical £434 for similar schools. What's behind that?
- Spending on energy is £142 a pupil, against a typical £112 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 Oswald's Church of England Primary School · All Sefton school finances