Arden Primary School: school finances
Healthy
Holds £224k in reserve, 6% of a year's income.
Latest full year 2025-26, as a council-run school (CFR return, April–March). Stockport · 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 | £1.9m | £2.0m | -£8k | £194k | 436 |
2019-20 | £2.0m | £2.1m | -£18k | £175k | 477 |
2020-21 | £2.3m | £2.2m | +£40k | £215k | 504 |
2021-22 | £2.6m | £2.6m | +£16k | £231k | 539 |
2022-23 | £2.8m | £2.7m | +£44k | £275k | 520 |
2023-24 | £2.9m | £3.0m | -£58k | £217k | 530 |
2024-25 | £3.2m | £3.2m | +£22k | £238k | 506 |
2025-26 | £3.5m | £3.5m | -£14k | £224k | 466 |
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 40% of them. It spends £7,458 a pupil in total; similar schools typically spend £6,652.
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 | £3,385 | £3,012 | £2,769–£3,271 |
Support staff (e.g. TAs) | £1,622 | £1,657 | £1,327–£1,855 |
Supply staff | £87 | £67 | £28–£180 |
Admin and clerical | £279 | £301 | £231–£349 |
Premises | £386 | £381 | £290–£450 |
Energy | £175 | £103 | £65–£116 |
Learning resources & ICT | £435 | £236 | £192–£298 |
Bought-in services | £217 | £101 | £56–£149 |
Compare side by side with the 3 most similar schools
Which schools are these?
- Holy Trinity Church of England VC Primary School & Community Nursery Large reserves
- St Gregory's Catholic Academy Healthy
- Bearbrook Combined School Healthy
- Grange Park Primary School Healthy
- Brunswick Community Primary School Large reserves
- Thornton Primary School Large reserves
- Brompton-Westbrook Primary School Large reserves
- Queen's Park Academy Large reserves
- Copthorne Primary School Large reserves
- Shirehampton Primary School In deficit
- Thorpe Primary Academy Healthy
- Lift Feversham Large reserves
Where the money comes from, 2025-26
| Source | Amount | Per pupil |
|---|---|---|
Government grants | £3.3m | £7,136 |
SEN funding (part of grants) | £146k | £313 |
Pupil premium (part of grants) | £248k | £532 |
Self-generated (lettings, catering, donations) | £155k | £333 |
Money raised by parents
ARDEN SCHOOL ASSOCIATION (charity 1154782, Registered) raised £13k in its latest year.
| Year ending | Income | Spending |
|---|---|---|
2026-08 | £13k | £16k |
2025-08 | £16k | £5k |
2024-08 | £10k | £5k |
2023-08 | £9k | £4k |
2022-08 | £2k | £1k |
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.
- Spending on bought-in services is £217 a pupil, against a typical £101 for similar schools. What's behind that?
- Spending on learning resources & ict is £435 a pupil, against a typical £236 for similar schools. What's behind that?
- Spending on energy is £175 a pupil, against a typical £103 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 Arden Primary School · All Stockport school finances