St Mary's and St Joseph's Roman Catholic Primary School Blackburn: school finances
Large reserves
Holds £165k in reserve, 11% of a year's income.
Latest full year 2025-26, as a council-run school (CFR return, April–March). Blackburn with Darwen · 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 | £1.2m | £1.1m | +£44k | £149k | 209 |
2019-20 | £1.1m | £1.1m | -£86k | £63k | 210 |
2020-21 | £1.3m | £1.2m | +£115k | £178k | 205 |
2021-22 | £1.2m | £1.3m | -£42k | £135k | 210 |
2022-23 | £1.3m | £1.3m | -£15k | £120k | 211 |
2023-24 | £1.4m | £1.3m | +£30k | £151k | 207 |
2024-25 | £1.5m | £1.5m | +£10k | £161k | 204 |
2025-26 | £1.5m | £1.5m | +£4k | £165k | 203 |
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 77% of them. It spends £7,388 a pupil in total; similar schools typically spend £7,030.
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 | £3,413 | £3,238 | £2,989–£3,447 |
Support staff (e.g. TAs) | £1,120 | £1,418 | £1,231–£1,621 |
Supply staff | £382 | £104 | £47–£209 |
Admin and clerical | £250 | £279 | £243–£347 |
Premises | £545 | £392 | £298–£484 |
Energy | £89 | £106 | £76–£130 |
Learning resources & ICT | £455 | £317 | £227–£387 |
Bought-in services | £292 | £186 | £115–£264 |
Compare side by side with the 3 most similar schools
Which schools are these?
- St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Tight
- Finedon Mulso Church of England Junior School Large reserves
- Holy Family Catholic Primary School Healthy
- Dover Park Primary School Large reserves
- St Francis Catholic Primary School Healthy
- St Patrick's Catholic Primary and Nursery School Heading for deficit
- St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Moorthorpe Large reserves
- Heamoor Community Primary School In deficit
- Longridge St Wilfrid's Roman Catholic Primary School Large reserves
- Broseley CofE Primary School Healthy
- Churchill Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Tight
- Collaton St Mary Church of England Primary School Large reserves
Where the money comes from, 2025-26
| Source | Amount | Per pupil |
|---|---|---|
Government grants | £1.5m | £7,257 |
SEN funding (part of grants) | £44k | £216 |
Pupil premium (part of grants) | £100k | £494 |
Self-generated (lettings, catering, donations) | £46k | £229 |
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?
- Spending on supply staff is £382 a pupil, against a typical £104 for similar schools. What's behind that?
- Spending on bought-in services is £292 a pupil, against a typical £186 for similar schools. What's behind that?
- Spending on learning resources & ict is £455 a pupil, against a typical £317 for similar schools. What's behind that?
- Spending on premises is £545 a pupil, against a typical £392 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 St Mary's and St Joseph's Roman Catholic Primary School Blackburn · All Blackburn with Darwen school finances