St Bernard's RC Primary School Manchester: school finances
Tight
Holds £19k 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). Manchester · 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 | £1.8m | £1.8m | +£38k | £93k | 310 |
2019-20 | £1.7m | £1.7m | -£10k | £83k | 296 |
2020-21 | £1.8m | £1.6m | +£191k | £274k | 263 |
2021-22 | £1.7m | £1.6m | +£8k | £282k | 253 |
2022-23 | £1.7m | £1.8m | -£100k | £182k | 213 |
2023-24 | £1.6m | £1.7m | -£80k | £102k | 192 |
2024-25 | £1.5m | £1.5m | +£61k | £163k | 169 |
2025-26 | £1.4m | £1.5m | -£144k | £19k | 154 |
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 20% of them. It spends £9,750 a pupil in total; similar schools typically spend £9,605.
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 | £4,232 | £4,107 | £3,762–£4,581 |
Support staff (e.g. TAs) | £1,497 | £2,037 | £1,533–£2,385 |
Supply staff | £143 | £181 | £76–£336 |
Admin and clerical | £591 | £431 | £309–£563 |
Premises | £564 | £551 | £443–£661 |
Energy | £130 | £182 | £126–£227 |
Learning resources & ICT | £297 | £351 | £288–£470 |
Bought-in services | £1,387 | £330 | £108–£451 |
Compare side by side with the 3 most similar schools
Which schools are these?
- St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Wallasey In deficit
- St Mark's CofE Primary School In deficit
- St Finbar's Catholic Primary School Large reserves
- Spire Junior School Large reserves
- Carville Academy Healthy
- Westfield Nursery and Primary School Healthy
- Martello Primary Large reserves
- St Augustine's CofE School Large reserves
- Thrybergh Primary School Large reserves
- South Stanley Junior School Large reserves
- Bridge Hall Primary School Healthy
- Christ Church Pellon CofE VC Primary School In deficit
Where the money comes from, 2025-26
| Source | Amount | Per pupil |
|---|---|---|
Government grants | £1.3m | £8,686 |
SEN funding (part of grants) | £52k | £339 |
Pupil premium (part of grants) | £140k | £907 |
Self-generated (lettings, catering, donations) | £21k | £136 |
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?
- Pupil numbers have fallen 50% since 2018-19. How is the school planning for fewer pupils, and the funding that goes with them?
- Spending on bought-in services is £1,387 a pupil, against a typical £330 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 St Bernard's RC Primary School Manchester · All Manchester school finances