Sharples Primary School: school finances
Large reserves
Holds £183k in reserve, 11% of a year's income.
Latest full year 2025-26, as a council-run school (CFR return, April–March). Bolton · 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 | £1.1m | £1.2m | -£30k | £71k | 220 |
2019-20 | £1.1m | £1.1m | +£11k | £82k | 215 |
2020-21 | £1.2m | £1.2m | +£24k | £106k | 222 |
2021-22 | £1.2m | £1.3m | -£37k | £69k | 234 |
2022-23 | £1.3m | £1.3m | -£17k | £52k | 248 |
2023-24 | £1.4m | £1.4m | +£44k | £95k | 260 |
2024-25 | £1.6m | £1.5m | +£82k | £178k | 253 |
2025-26 | £1.7m | £1.7m | +£5k | £183k | 241 |
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 70% of them. It spends £6,870 a pupil in total; similar schools typically spend £6,895.
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 | £3,237 | £3,314 | £3,046–£3,506 |
Support staff (e.g. TAs) | £1,518 | £1,464 | £1,140–£1,678 |
Supply staff | £46 | £89 | £50–£232 |
Admin and clerical | £262 | £288 | £256–£359 |
Premises | £490 | £391 | £275–£435 |
Energy | £99 | £96 | £75–£121 |
Learning resources & ICT | £575 | £265 | £198–£339 |
Bought-in services | £120 | £157 | £85–£320 |
Compare side by side with the 3 most similar schools
Which schools are these?
- Boughton Leigh Infant School Heading for deficit
- St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary Academy Healthy
- Springside Primary School Large reserves
- Hardwick Primary School and Nursery Large reserves
- Eldon Primary School Healthy
- All Saints Catholic Primary School, Golborne, Wigan Large reserves
- Mere School Healthy
- Field Junior School Large reserves
- Malpas Alport Endowed Primary School Healthy
- St John the Baptist Roman Catholic Primary School, Padiham In deficit
- Maybury Primary School Large reserves
- King Richard III Infant and Nursery School Large reserves
Where the money comes from, 2025-26
| Source | Amount | Per pupil |
|---|---|---|
Government grants | £1.6m | £6,689 |
SEN funding (part of grants) | £73k | £302 |
Pupil premium (part of grants) | £64k | £267 |
Self-generated (lettings, catering, donations) | £49k | £202 |
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 learning resources & ict is £575 a pupil, against a typical £265 for similar schools. What's behind that?
- Spending on premises is £490 a pupil, against a typical £391 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 Sharples Primary School · All Bolton school finances