Elmley Castle CofE First School: school finances
In deficit
In deficit by £200k, 26% of a year's income: it has spent more over the years than it received. It has spent more than it received for 2 years running.
Latest full year 2025-26, as a council-run school (CFR return, April–March). Worcestershire · Primary · Voluntary controlled 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 | £304k | £346k | -£42k | -£169k | 47 |
2019-20 | £371k | £391k | -£20k | -£189k | 55 |
2020-21 | £402k | £422k | -£20k | -£208k | 66 |
2021-22 | £472k | £450k | +£22k | -£187k | 69 |
2022-23 | £574k | £552k | +£22k | -£165k | 79 |
2023-24 | £703k | £666k | +£36k | -£129k | 89 |
2024-25 | £738k | £753k | -£15k | -£144k | 87 |
2025-26 | £769k | £825k | -£56k | -£200k | 76 |
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 0% of them. It spends £10,927 a pupil in total; similar schools typically spend £8,581.
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 | £3,688 | £4,284 | £3,862–£4,941 |
Support staff (e.g. TAs) | £2,649 | £1,240 | £1,032–£1,675 |
Supply staff | £763 | £127 | £46–£362 |
Admin and clerical | £616 | £425 | £295–£515 |
Premises | £799 | £432 | £380–£528 |
Energy | £85 | £152 | £119–£187 |
Learning resources & ICT | £438 | £485 | £403–£575 |
Bought-in services | £834 | £246 | £171–£375 |
Compare side by side with the 3 most similar schools
Which schools are these?
- Crawford Village Primary School Healthy
- Swarland Primary School Large reserves
- Shocklach Oviatt CofE Primary School Large reserves
- Erpingham Voluntary Controlled Church of England Primary School Tight
- Enborne C.E. Primary School Tight
- St Michael & All Angels Church of England Primary School Healthy
- St Peter's Catholic Primary School In deficit
- Kilby St Mary's Church of England Primary School In deficit
- Thurlaston Church of England Primary School Large reserves
- Kirkbride Primary School In deficit
- Sand Hutton Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Healthy
- St Michael's Primary School Large reserves
Where the money comes from, 2025-26
| Source | Amount | Per pupil |
|---|---|---|
Government grants | £744k | £9,854 |
SEN funding (part of grants) | £81k | £1,069 |
Pupil premium (part of grants) | £10k | £135 |
Self-generated (lettings, catering, donations) | £25k | £325 |
Money raised by parents
ELMLEY CASTLE PARENT TEACHER ASSOCIATION (charity 1100031, Registered) raised £9k in its latest year.
| Year ending | Income | Spending |
|---|---|---|
2025-08 | £9k | £7k |
2024-08 | £3k | £4k |
2023-08 | £11k | £12k |
2022-08 | £13k | £15k |
2021-08 | £5k | £5k |
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.
- Is there a deficit recovery plan agreed with the council, and when does the school expect to be back in balance?
- What has been cut or changed to close the gap, and how does that affect classes and support staff?
- Spending on supply staff is £763 a pupil, against a typical £127 for similar schools. What's behind that?
- Spending on bought-in services is £834 a pupil, against a typical £246 for similar schools. What's behind that?
- Spending on support staff (e.g. tas) is £2,649 a pupil, against a typical £1,240 for similar schools. What's behind that?
- Spending on premises is £799 a pupil, against a typical £432 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 Elmley Castle CofE First School · All Worcestershire school finances