St Paul's Catholic Primary School: school finances
Heading for deficit
Has spent more than it received for 4 years running; at that rate its £11k reserve runs out in about 0 year.
Latest full year 2025-26, as a council-run school (CFR return, April–March). West Berkshire · 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 | £1.3m | £1.3m | +£55k | £142k | 329 |
2019-20 | £1.4m | £1.3m | +£37k | £178k | 308 |
2020-21 | £1.4m | £1.3m | +£80k | £258k | 315 |
2021-22 | £1.4m | £1.4m | +£42k | £301k | 318 |
2022-23 | £1.5m | £1.6m | -£50k | £251k | 302 |
2023-24 | £1.6m | £1.7m | -£81k | £170k | 296 |
2024-25 | £1.7m | £1.8m | -£82k | £88k | 294 |
2025-26 | £1.8m | £1.9m | -£77k | £11k | 279 |
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 £6,880 a pupil in total; similar schools typically spend £6,260.
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 | £3,529 | £3,084 | £2,798–£3,228 |
Support staff (e.g. TAs) | £1,205 | £1,260 | £1,041–£1,465 |
Supply staff | £49 | £95 | £38–£161 |
Admin and clerical | £435 | £302 | £213–£368 |
Premises | £304 | £305 | £268–£372 |
Energy | £60 | £80 | £67–£107 |
Learning resources & ICT | £272 | £256 | £187–£337 |
Bought-in services | £132 | £144 | £103–£231 |
Compare side by side with the 3 most similar schools
Which schools are these?
- St Wilfrid's Catholic Primary School In deficit
- Lower Park School Large reserves
- Galley Hill Primary School Large reserves
- Southwater Infant Academy Large reserves
- Fleetville Infant and Nursery School Large reserves
- Dane Ghyll Community Primary School and Nursery Tight
- St Clare's Catholic Primary School, Preston Large reserves
- Ellison Boulters Church of England Primary School Large reserves
- Charlton Kings Infants' School Large reserves
- Otterbourne Church of England Primary School Tight
- Oatlands School Large reserves
- Dobcroft Nursery Infant School Heading for deficit
Where the money comes from, 2025-26
| Source | Amount | Per pupil |
|---|---|---|
Government grants | £1.7m | £6,046 |
SEN funding (part of grants) | £37k | £131 |
Pupil premium (part of grants) | £23k | £81 |
Self-generated (lettings, catering, donations) | £156k | £559 |
Money raised by parents
ST PAUL'S SCHOOL ASSOCIATION (charity 1056461, Registered) raised £17k in its latest year.
| Year ending | Income | Spending |
|---|---|---|
2025-04 | £17k | £10k |
2024-04 | £19k | £26k |
2023-04 | £16k | £23k |
2022-04 | £4k | £2k |
2021-04 | £6k | £8k |
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 is the plan to stop spending more than the school receives each year?
- Pupil numbers have fallen 15% since 2018-19. How is the school planning for fewer pupils, and the funding that goes with them?
- Spending on admin and clerical is £435 a pupil, against a typical £302 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 Paul's Catholic Primary School · All West Berkshire school finances