Appleton Thorn Primary School: school finances
Tight
Holds £16k in reserve, under 3% of a year's income: little room for surprises.
Latest full year 2024-25, as a academy (accounts return, September–August). Warrington · Primary · Academy converter.
Academies in a trust don't hold money on their own: THE CHALLENGE ACADEMY TRUST can move money between its schools. The reserve includes this school's per-pupil share of the trust's central reserve.
Earlier years come from this school's return before it became an academy (a different DfE number).
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 | £886k | £917k | -£31k | £2k | 202 |
2019-20 | £966k | £946k | +£20k | £21k | 204 |
2020-21 | £1.0m | £1.0m | +£5k | £27k | 200 |
2021-22 | £1.1m | £1.1m | +£49k | £76k | 186 |
2022-23 | £1.1m | £1.1m | -£19k | £57k | 185 |
2023-24 | £1.3m | £1.2m | +£59k | -£3k | 197 |
2024-25 | £1.4m | £1.3m | +£77k | £16k | 202 |
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 20% of them. It spends £6,322 a pupil in total; similar schools typically spend £6,653.
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 | £2,941 | £3,187 | £3,035–£3,494 |
Support staff (e.g. TAs) | £1,139 | £1,362 | £969–£1,571 |
Supply staff | £322 | £74 | £24–£124 |
Admin and clerical | £277 | £329 | £292–£382 |
Premises | £277 | £316 | £298–£409 |
Energy | £124 | £102 | £84–£121 |
Learning resources & ICT | £356 | £282 | £225–£319 |
Bought-in services | £272 | £178 | £114–£271 |
Compare side by side with the 3 most similar schools
Which schools are these?
- Hagbourne Church of England Primary School Large reserves
- Probus Primary School Healthy
- St Joseph's Primary School Heading for deficit
- Wingrave Church of England Combined School Tight
- Brereton CofE Primary School Healthy
- Markyate Village School and Nursery Heading for deficit
- Binstead Primary School Large reserves
- Boughton Monchelsea Primary School Large reserves
- Victoria Park Infant School Healthy
- Roger De Clare First CofE School Healthy
- Hook Church of England Primary School Large reserves
- Aboyne Lodge Junior Mixed and Infant School In deficit
Where the money comes from, 2024-25
| Source | Amount | Per pupil |
|---|---|---|
Government grants | £1.2m | £6,124 |
SEN funding (part of grants) | £82k | £406 |
Self-generated (lettings, catering, donations) | £117k | £579 |
Money raised by parents
APPLETON THORN PRIMARY SCHOOL PARENT TEACHER ASSOCIATION (charity 1108503, Registered) raised £15k in its latest year.
| Year ending | Income | Spending |
|---|---|---|
2025-01 | £15k | £7k |
2024-01 | £23k | £28k |
2023-01 | £8k | £7k |
2022-01 | £12k | £6k |
2021-01 | £6k | £15k |
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 would the school do if costs rose unexpectedly, such as energy or a pay award that isn't fully funded?
- Spending on supply staff is £322 a pupil, against a typical £74 for similar schools. What's behind that?
- Spending on learning resources & ict is £356 a pupil, against a typical £282 for similar schools. What's behind that?
- How does the school decide what the money the parents' association raises is spent on?
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 Appleton Thorn Primary School · All Warrington school finances