St Mary's Voluntary Controlled Church of England Primary School: school finances
Large reserves
Holds £546k in reserve, 19% of a year's income.
Latest full year 2025-26, as a council-run school (CFR return, April–March). Somerset · 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 | £1.9m | £1.9m | -£27k | £226k | 440 |
2019-20 | £1.9m | £2.0m | -£22k | £205k | 446 |
2020-21 | £2.1m | £2.0m | +£107k | £312k | 449 |
2021-22 | £2.3m | £2.2m | +£151k | £463k | 452 |
2022-23 | £2.4m | £2.4m | +£27k | £490k | 452 |
2023-24 | £2.6m | £2.6m | +£21k | £511k | 459 |
2024-25 | £2.8m | £2.7m | +£34k | £545k | 442 |
2025-26 | £2.9m | £2.9m | +£2k | £546k | 458 |
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 83% of them. It spends £6,409 a pupil in total; similar schools typically spend £6,083.
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 | £2,712 | £2,908 | £2,798–£3,103 |
Support staff (e.g. TAs) | £1,874 | £1,203 | £917–£1,421 |
Supply staff | £118 | £72 | £29–£114 |
Admin and clerical | £367 | £236 | £206–£327 |
Premises | £260 | £285 | £235–£340 |
Energy | £37 | £94 | £79–£107 |
Learning resources & ICT | £379 | £275 | £218–£341 |
Bought-in services | £250 | £130 | £89–£154 |
Compare side by side with the 3 most similar schools
Which schools are these?
- High Oakham Primary School Tight
- The Good Shepherd Catholic Primary, Arnold Healthy
- The Quinta Primary School Large reserves
- Christ The King Catholic Primary School Large reserves
- St Christopher Primary School Healthy
- Allington Primary School Large reserves
- Floreat Montague Park Primary School and Nursery Large reserves
- Redhill Primary Academy Large reserves
- Southwater Junior Academy Healthy
- Runnymede St Edward's Catholic Primary School In deficit
- Sandal Primary School Tight
- Blean Primary School Healthy
Where the money comes from, 2025-26
| Source | Amount | Per pupil |
|---|---|---|
Government grants | £3.0m | £6,501 |
SEN funding (part of grants) | £219k | £479 |
Pupil premium (part of grants) | £72k | £157 |
Self-generated (lettings, catering, donations) | £115k | £251 |
Money raised by parents
ST MARY'S CEVC PARENTS AND FRIENDS ASSOCIATION (charity 1039699, Registered) raised £12k in its latest year.
| Year ending | Income | Spending |
|---|---|---|
2025-08 | £12k | £20k |
2024-08 | £14k | £8k |
2023-08 | £8k | £9k |
2022-08 | £4k | £776 |
2021-08 | £4k | £2k |
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.
- 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 bought-in services is £250 a pupil, against a typical £130 for similar schools. What's behind that?
- Spending on support staff (e.g. tas) is £1,874 a pupil, against a typical £1,203 for similar schools. What's behind that?
- Spending on admin and clerical is £367 a pupil, against a typical £236 for similar schools. What's behind that?
- Spending on learning resources & ict is £379 a pupil, against a typical £275 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.
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