Whaley Bridge Primary School: school finances
Large reserves
Holds £150k in reserve, 10% of a year's income.
Latest full year 2025-26, as a council-run school (CFR return, April–March). Derbyshire · 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 | £1.2m | £1.2m | +£14k | £175k | 213 |
2019-20 | £1.1m | £1.2m | -£44k | £131k | 188 |
2020-21 | £1.1m | £1.1m | -£6k | £125k | 160 |
2021-22 | £1.0m | £1.1m | -£49k | £76k | 142 |
2022-23 | £1.1m | £1.1m | +£15k | £92k | 129 |
2023-24 | £1.1m | £1.1m | +£19k | £111k | 121 |
2024-25 | £1.2m | £1.2m | +£12k | £123k | 137 |
2025-26 | £1.5m | £1.4m | +£27k | £150k | 142 |
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 83% of them. It spends £10,167 a pupil in total; similar schools typically spend £8,034.
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 | £4,046 | £3,827 | £3,353–£4,342 |
Support staff (e.g. TAs) | £2,996 | £1,363 | £1,046–£2,033 |
Supply staff | £314 | £137 | £46–£223 |
Admin and clerical | £349 | £372 | £282–£486 |
Premises | £428 | £478 | £362–£631 |
Energy | £193 | £129 | £99–£181 |
Learning resources & ICT | £347 | £336 | £247–£444 |
Bought-in services | £359 | £152 | £77–£229 |
Compare side by side with the 3 most similar schools
Which schools are these?
- St John's Church of England First School, Wimborne Tight
- Docking Church of England Primary Academy and Nursery Large reserves
- Anston Brook Primary School Large reserves
- Colyton Primary Academy Healthy
- Burton Green Primary School Heading for deficit
- Coton-in-the-Elms Cof E Primary School In deficit
- St Joseph's Catholic Primary Academy Healthy
- All Saints' CofE School Healthy
- Park Street Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School Large reserves
- Sauncey Wood Primary School Healthy
- Leek First School Healthy
- Badsey First School Large reserves
Where the money comes from, 2025-26
| Source | Amount | Per pupil |
|---|---|---|
Government grants | £1.4m | £10,026 |
SEN funding (part of grants) | £316k | £2,225 |
Pupil premium (part of grants) | £59k | £413 |
Self-generated (lettings, catering, donations) | £47k | £334 |
Money raised by parents
THE WHALEY BRIDGE PRIMARY SCHOOL PARENT TEACHER ASSOCIATION (charity 1055439, Registered) raised £7k in its latest year.
| Year ending | Income | Spending |
|---|---|---|
2025-03 | £7k | £11k |
2024-03 | £7k | £5k |
2023-03 | £5k | £3k |
2022-03 | £8k | £3k |
2021-03 | £2k | £7k |
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 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?
- Pupil numbers have fallen 33% since 2018-19. How is the school planning for fewer pupils, and the funding that goes with them?
- Spending on bought-in services is £359 a pupil, against a typical £152 for similar schools. What's behind that?
- Spending on supply staff is £314 a pupil, against a typical £137 for similar schools. What's behind that?
- Spending on support staff (e.g. tas) is £2,996 a pupil, against a typical £1,363 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 Whaley Bridge Primary School · All Derbyshire school finances