St Mary's Catholic First School, Dorchester: school finances
Healthy
Holds £35k in reserve, 3% of a year's income.
Latest full year 2024-25, as a academy (accounts return, September–August). Dorset · Primary · Academy converter.
Academies in a trust don't hold money on their own: PLYMOUTH CAST can move money between its schools. The reserve includes this school's per-pupil share of the trust's central reserve.
Reserve at the end of each year, 2018-19 to 2024-25
Income and spending, 2018-19 to 2024-25
Income Spending
Show the figures as a table
| Year | Income | Spending | Balance | Reserve | Pupils |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2018-19 | £749k | £696k | +£53k | -£5k | 150 |
2019-20 | £879k | £774k | +£105k | £60k | 180 |
2020-21 | £865k | £819k | +£46k | £63k | 186 |
2021-22 | £877k | £828k | +£49k | £60k | 186 |
2022-23 | £915k | £859k | +£56k | £116k | 190 |
2023-24 | £990k | £947k | +£43k | £161k | 182 |
2024-25 | £1.0m | £1.0m | -£30k | £35k | 174 |
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 33% of them. It spends £6,006 a pupil in total; similar schools typically spend £6,921.
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 | £3,494 | £3,295 | £3,061–£3,458 |
Support staff (e.g. TAs) | £0 | £1,254 | £811–£1,524 |
Supply staff | £0 | £74 | £54–£149 |
Admin and clerical | £1,109 | £350 | £229–£403 |
Premises | £201 | £309 | £248–£389 |
Energy | £0 | £99 | £77–£135 |
Learning resources & ICT | £546 | £277 | £217–£389 |
Bought-in services | £0 | £116 | £99–£276 |
Compare side by side with the 3 most similar schools
Which schools are these?
- Lightwater Village Infant School and Nursery Heading for deficit
- Oakwood Infant School Large reserves
- Gastrells Community Primary School Large reserves
- Fairway Infant School, Copthorne Tight
- Marlow Church of England Infant School Heading for deficit
- Houghton Primary School In deficit
- Basildon C.E. Primary School Healthy
- St Martin's Academy Chester Tight
- St John's CofE Primary Academy Large reserves
- Fetcham Village Infant School Tight
- Caton St Paul's Church of England Primary School Healthy
- St Andrew's CofE Primary School Large reserves
Where the money comes from, 2024-25
| Source | Amount | Per pupil |
|---|---|---|
Government grants | £1.0m | £5,833 |
SEN funding (part of grants) | £146k | £839 |
Questions to ask the school
Useful for parents, governors and PTA committees.
- Spending on admin and clerical is £1,109 a pupil, against a typical £350 for similar schools. What's behind that?
- Spending on learning resources & ict is £546 a pupil, against a typical £277 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 Catholic First School, Dorchester · All Dorset school finances