St Nicholas Church of England Primary School: school finances
Large reserves
Holds £200k in reserve, 14% of a year's income. It has been drawing on it for 3 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 | £1.0m | £1.0m | +£17k | £148k | 208 |
2019-20 | £1.1m | £1.1m | +£5k | £153k | 209 |
2020-21 | £1.1m | £1.1m | +£50k | £203k | 213 |
2021-22 | £1.2m | £1.1m | +£41k | £244k | 208 |
2022-23 | £1.3m | £1.2m | +£31k | £276k | 211 |
2023-24 | £1.3m | £1.4m | -£27k | £249k | 211 |
2024-25 | £1.4m | £1.4m | -£35k | £214k | 208 |
2025-26 | £1.4m | £1.4m | -£14k | £200k | 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 100% of them. It spends £6,820 a pupil in total; similar schools typically spend £6,464.
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 | £3,221 | £3,142 | £2,953–£3,297 |
Support staff (e.g. TAs) | £826 | £1,199 | £955–£1,310 |
Supply staff | £342 | £86 | £44–£167 |
Admin and clerical | £239 | £311 | £256–£372 |
Premises | £298 | £336 | £284–£382 |
Energy | £100 | £91 | £76–£105 |
Learning resources & ICT | £349 | £300 | £235–£382 |
Bought-in services | £610 | £176 | £112–£266 |
Compare side by side with the 3 most similar schools
Which schools are these?
- St Mary's CofE Primary School High Crompton Tight
- St Julie's Catholic Primary School Tight
- Colerne CofE Primary School Healthy
- Ditchling St Margaret's Church of England Primary School Tight
- Burton-on-the-Wolds Primary School In deficit
- Gawber Primary School Tight
- Walkington Primary School In deficit
- St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Horsforth Tight
- St Oswald's Catholic Primary School, Gosforth Healthy
- Western Road Community Primary School Healthy
- St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Bracknell Healthy
- St John's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, Colchester Heading for deficit
Where the money comes from, 2025-26
| Source | Amount | Per pupil |
|---|---|---|
Government grants | £1.4m | £6,430 |
SEN funding (part of grants) | £212k | £1,001 |
Pupil premium (part of grants) | £21k | £101 |
Self-generated (lettings, catering, donations) | £98k | £464 |
Money raised by parents
FRIENDS OF ST NICHOLAS SCHOOL BLUNDELLSANDS (charity 1110993, Registered) raised £11k in its latest year.
| Year ending | Income | Spending |
|---|---|---|
2025-08 | £11k | £5k |
2024-08 | £8k | £5k |
2023-08 | £11k | £18k |
2022-08 | £15k | £11k |
2021-08 | £4k | £507 |
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 supply staff is £342 a pupil, against a typical £86 for similar schools. What's behind that?
- Spending on bought-in services is £610 a pupil, against a typical £176 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 Nicholas Church of England Primary School · All Sefton school finances