St Paul's Roman Catholic Primary School, Feniscowles, Blackburn: school finances
Heading for deficit
Has spent more than it received for 2 years running; at that rate its £33k reserve runs out in about 2 years.
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 | £965k | £951k | +£14k | £77k | 210 |
2019-20 | £984k | £1.0m | -£24k | £53k | 212 |
2020-21 | £1.0m | £956k | +£58k | £111k | 214 |
2021-22 | £1.1m | £1.1m | +£955 | £112k | 215 |
2022-23 | £1.1m | £1.1m | -£25k | £87k | 215 |
2023-24 | £1.2m | £1.2m | +£24k | £111k | 214 |
2024-25 | £1.3m | £1.3m | -£35k | £76k | 214 |
2025-26 | £1.3m | £1.4m | -£43k | £33k | 216 |
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 37% of them. It spends £6,276 a pupil in total; similar schools typically spend £6,354.
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 | £3,009 | £3,142 | £2,941–£3,274 |
Support staff (e.g. TAs) | £1,007 | £1,089 | £944–£1,274 |
Supply staff | £121 | £97 | £49–£182 |
Admin and clerical | £285 | £306 | £246–£369 |
Premises | £351 | £346 | £268–£419 |
Energy | £76 | £92 | £76–£106 |
Learning resources & ICT | £253 | £346 | £291–£417 |
Bought-in services | £480 | £204 | £97–£292 |
Compare side by side with the 3 most similar schools
Which schools are these?
- New Longton All Saints CofE Primary School Large reserves
- Gilmorton Chandler Church of England Primary School Large reserves
- St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Healthy
- Tickhill Estfeld Primary School In deficit
- Arundel CofE Primary School Tight
- Holy Family Catholic Primary School Healthy
- St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Wetherby In deficit
- Spinfield School Tight
- Scantabout Primary School Tight
- Stocks Green Primary School Heading for deficit
- St John the Baptist Catholic Primary School, Andover Heading for deficit
- St Luke's CofE Primary School In deficit
Where the money comes from, 2025-26
| Source | Amount | Per pupil |
|---|---|---|
Government grants | £1.2m | £5,609 |
SEN funding (part of grants) | £28k | £128 |
Pupil premium (part of grants) | £37k | £169 |
Self-generated (lettings, catering, donations) | £101k | £468 |
Questions to ask the school
Useful for parents, governors and PTA committees.
- What is the plan to stop spending more than the school receives each year?
- Spending on bought-in services is £480 a pupil, against a typical £204 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 Paul's Roman Catholic Primary School, Feniscowles, Blackburn · All Blackburn with Darwen school finances