St Mary's CofE (VA) Primary School: school finances
Large reserves
Holds £281k in reserve, 15% of a year's income.
Latest full year 2025-26, as a council-run school (CFR return, April–March). Worcestershire · 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 | £1.3m | £1.3m | -£2k | £99k | 204 |
2019-20 | £1.3m | £1.3m | -£15k | £84k | 194 |
2020-21 | £1.4m | £1.3m | +£65k | £149k | 198 |
2021-22 | £1.5m | £1.3m | +£115k | £264k | 203 |
2022-23 | £1.6m | £1.5m | +£89k | £353k | 194 |
2023-24 | £1.7m | £1.8m | -£81k | £272k | 215 |
2024-25 | £1.8m | £1.7m | +£36k | £307k | 192 |
2025-26 | £1.8m | £1.9m | -£26k | £281k | 209 |
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 80% of them. It spends £8,941 a pupil in total; similar schools typically spend £8,119.
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 | £3,871 | £3,575 | £3,201–£3,942 |
Support staff (e.g. TAs) | £1,726 | £1,737 | £1,457–£2,064 |
Supply staff | £543 | £173 | £77–£398 |
Admin and clerical | £661 | £336 | £268–£458 |
Premises | £432 | £412 | £337–£644 |
Energy | £121 | £122 | £67–£175 |
Learning resources & ICT | £420 | £382 | £239–£517 |
Bought-in services | £380 | £248 | £111–£325 |
Compare side by side with the 3 most similar schools
Which schools are these?
- Bluecoat Bentinck Primary Academy Tight
- Mansfield Primary Academy Large reserves
- St George's Church of England Primary School Large reserves
- Wilfred Owen Primary School Large reserves
- Our Lady and St Philomena's Catholic Primary School Large reserves
- St Michael's CofE Primary Academy, Handsworth Large reserves
- St Wilfrid's RC Primary School Healthy
- St Hugh's CofE Primary School Healthy
- St Edward's Catholic Primary School Large reserves
- New Bolsover Primary and Nursery School Large reserves
- Netherton Moss Primary School Large reserves
- Spon Gate Primary School Heading for deficit
Where the money comes from, 2025-26
| Source | Amount | Per pupil |
|---|---|---|
Government grants | £1.8m | £8,603 |
SEN funding (part of grants) | £255k | £1,218 |
Pupil premium (part of grants) | £158k | £755 |
Self-generated (lettings, catering, donations) | £45k | £213 |
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 £543 a pupil, against a typical £173 for similar schools. What's behind that?
- Spending on admin and clerical is £661 a pupil, against a typical £336 for similar schools. What's behind that?
- Spending on bought-in services is £380 a pupil, against a typical £248 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 CofE (VA) Primary School · All Worcestershire school finances