Edith Cavell Primary School: school finances
Tight
Holds £23k 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). Bedford · Primary · Foundation 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 | £1.4m | £1.3m | +£88k | £119k | 285 |
2019-20 | £1.4m | £1.4m | -£74k | £45k | 264 |
2020-21 | £1.5m | £1.5m | -£20k | £25k | 266 |
2021-22 | £1.5m | £1.5m | -£2k | £23k | 246 |
2022-23 | £1.6m | £1.6m | -£7k | £17k | 262 |
2023-24 | £1.7m | £1.7m | +£6k | £23k | 284 |
2024-25 | £2.0m | £2.0m | +£15k | £37k | 275 |
2025-26 | £2.1m | £2.2m | -£14k | £23k | 271 |
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 13% of them. It spends £7,968 a pupil in total; similar schools typically spend £7,049.
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 | £3,543 | £3,306 | £3,077–£3,654 |
Support staff (e.g. TAs) | £2,072 | £1,493 | £1,246–£1,738 |
Supply staff | £60 | £89 | £43–£172 |
Admin and clerical | £518 | £342 | £254–£422 |
Premises | £322 | £397 | £307–£441 |
Energy | £83 | £117 | £94–£152 |
Learning resources & ICT | £298 | £256 | £193–£390 |
Bought-in services | £114 | £131 | £91–£280 |
Compare side by side with the 3 most similar schools
Which schools are these?
- Eastgate Academy Large reserves
- Filey Junior School Heading for deficit
- Oakwood Primary Academy Large reserves
- St Mary's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School Large reserves
- Linton Primary School In deficit
- St Dunstan's Catholic Primary School Large reserves
- Sharlston Community School Tight
- Redcastle Family School Healthy
- Intake Primary Academy Healthy
- Nova Primary School Healthy
- Shears Green Infant School Large reserves
- Corpus Christi Catholic Primary School Tight
Where the money comes from, 2025-26
| Source | Amount | Per pupil |
|---|---|---|
Government grants | £2.1m | £7,625 |
SEN funding (part of grants) | £83k | £305 |
Pupil premium (part of grants) | £131k | £484 |
Self-generated (lettings, catering, donations) | £79k | £290 |
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?
- Spending on admin and clerical is £518 a pupil, against a typical £342 for similar schools. What's behind that?
- Spending on support staff (e.g. tas) is £2,072 a pupil, against a typical £1,493 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 Edith Cavell Primary School · All Bedford school finances