Higham St John's Church of England Primary School: school finances
Large reserves
Holds £86k in reserve, 8% of a year's income.
Latest full year 2025-26, as a council-run school (CFR return, April–March). Lancashire · 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 | £745k | £756k | -£11k | £68k | 140 |
2019-20 | £786k | £794k | -£8k | £60k | 140 |
2020-21 | £822k | £819k | +£3k | £62k | 140 |
2021-22 | £908k | £923k | -£14k | £48k | 141 |
2022-23 | £970k | £981k | -£11k | £37k | 137 |
2023-24 | £1.0m | £999k | +£24k | £61k | 127 |
2024-25 | £1.0m | £1.0m | +£16k | £76k | 133 |
2025-26 | £1.0m | £1.0m | +£10k | £86k | 120 |
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 70% of them. It spends £8,566 a pupil in total; similar schools typically spend £8,085.
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 | £3,901 | £3,522 | £3,138–£3,874 |
Support staff (e.g. TAs) | £1,066 | £1,776 | £1,297–£2,372 |
Supply staff | £259 | £158 | £76–£267 |
Admin and clerical | £311 | £381 | £300–£517 |
Premises | £464 | £398 | £341–£530 |
Energy | £148 | £146 | £120–£205 |
Learning resources & ICT | £702 | £350 | £259–£554 |
Bought-in services | £677 | £208 | £106–£334 |
Compare side by side with the 3 most similar schools
Which schools are these?
- Berwick St Mary's Church of England Primary School Large reserves
- Lulworth and Winfrith CofE Primary School Tight
- Preesall Fleetwood's Charity Church of England Primary School Healthy
- Norland CE School Large reserves
- Tetney Primary School Large reserves
- Rivenhall Church of England Primary School Large reserves
- Great Bardfield Primary School Healthy
- Tiptoe Primary School Healthy
- St Michael's Nursery and Infant School In deficit
- St Nicholas CofE Primary School In deficit
- Anker Valley Primary Academy Large reserves
- St Jude's CofE Infant School Large reserves
Where the money comes from, 2025-26
| Source | Amount | Per pupil |
|---|---|---|
Government grants | £974k | £8,118 |
SEN funding (part of grants) | £91k | £761 |
Pupil premium (part of grants) | £47k | £388 |
Self-generated (lettings, catering, donations) | £63k | £529 |
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 14% since 2018-19. How is the school planning for fewer pupils, and the funding that goes with them?
- Spending on bought-in services is £677 a pupil, against a typical £208 for similar schools. What's behind that?
- Spending on learning resources & ict is £702 a pupil, against a typical £350 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 Higham St John's Church of England Primary School · All Lancashire school finances