Northern Primary School: school finances
Healthy
Holds £66k in reserve, 6% of a year's income. It has spent more than it received for 3 years, so watch the trend.
Latest full year 2025-26, as a council-run school (CFR return, April–March). Lancashire · 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 | £882k | £889k | -£7k | £86k | 204 |
2019-20 | £953k | £950k | +£2k | £89k | 195 |
2020-21 | £965k | £923k | +£42k | £131k | 201 |
2021-22 | £1.0m | £1.1m | -£20k | £111k | 193 |
2022-23 | £1.1m | £1.1m | +£8k | £119k | 183 |
2023-24 | £1.1m | £1.1m | -£4k | £114k | 178 |
2024-25 | £1.2m | £1.2m | -£590 | £114k | 165 |
2025-26 | £1.2m | £1.2m | -£48k | £66k | 161 |
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 27% of them. It spends £7,703 a pupil in total; similar schools typically spend £7,404.
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 | £3,647 | £3,419 | £3,060–£3,900 |
Support staff (e.g. TAs) | £1,425 | £1,314 | £994–£1,520 |
Supply staff | £60 | £148 | £62–£333 |
Admin and clerical | £382 | £387 | £241–£448 |
Premises | £451 | £405 | £326–£519 |
Energy | £98 | £96 | £74–£114 |
Learning resources & ICT | £405 | £265 | £168–£354 |
Bought-in services | £303 | £197 | £104–£272 |
Compare side by side with the 3 most similar schools
Which schools are these?
- St Thomas More Catholic First School Large reserves
- Castleford Wheldon Infant School and Nursery Large reserves
- Tasburgh Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Large reserves
- Lepton CofE Primary Academy In deficit
- Bidbury Infant School Large reserves
- Appleby Primary School Large reserves
- Homer First School and Nursery In deficit
- Freethorpe Community Primary and Nursery School Large reserves
- Overton St Helen's Church of England Primary School Large reserves
- Old Dalby Church of England Primary School Large reserves
- Axbridge Church of England First School Academy Large reserves
- Northfield Infant School Large reserves
Where the money comes from, 2025-26
| Source | Amount | Per pupil |
|---|---|---|
Government grants | £1.1m | £6,971 |
SEN funding (part of grants) | £59k | £369 |
Pupil premium (part of grants) | £68k | £421 |
Self-generated (lettings, catering, donations) | £70k | £433 |
Questions to ask the school
Useful for parents, governors and PTA committees.
- Pupil numbers have fallen 21% since 2018-19. How is the school planning for fewer pupils, and the funding that goes with them?
- Spending on bought-in services is £303 a pupil, against a typical £197 for similar schools. What's behind that?
- Spending on learning resources & ict is £405 a pupil, against a typical £265 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 Northern Primary School · All Lancashire school finances