Willow Tree Primary School: school finances
Large reserves
Holds £154k in reserve, 10% of a year's income.
Latest full year 2024-25, as a council-run school (CFR return, April–March). Hertfordshire · Primary · Academy converter.
Earlier years come from this school's return before it became an academy (a different DfE number).
A 2025-26 return is published too, but it covers part of a year or leaves out the income or reserve figure, so the latest complete year is shown.
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 | £2.4m | £2.4m | +£59k | £237k | 442 |
2019-20 | £2.2m | £2.3m | -£130k | £106k | 391 |
2020-21 | £2.1m | £2.0m | +£76k | £182k | 310 |
2021-22 | £1.8m | £1.7m | +£36k | £219k | 270 |
2022-23 | £1.6m | £1.7m | -£47k | £171k | 226 |
2023-24 | £1.6m | £1.6m | -£46k | £125k | 208 |
2024-25 | £1.6m | £1.5m | +£29k | £154k | 181 |
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 63% of them. It spends £8,539 a pupil in total; similar schools typically spend £7,410.
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 | £3,911 | £3,393 | £2,989–£3,648 |
Support staff (e.g. TAs) | £992 | £1,487 | £1,132–£1,723 |
Supply staff | £673 | £165 | £66–£361 |
Admin and clerical | £392 | £360 | £278–£478 |
Premises | £582 | £386 | £310–£461 |
Energy | £393 | £124 | £85–£152 |
Learning resources & ICT | £350 | £351 | £205–£412 |
Bought-in services | £163 | £167 | £128–£234 |
Compare side by side with the 3 most similar schools
Which schools are these?
- Shield Road Primary School In deficit
- John Emmerson Batty Primary School Tight
- St James Church of England Primary Academy Large reserves
- Latchford St James CofE Primary School In deficit
- New Silksworth Academy Infant Large reserves
- Harwood Hill Junior Mixed Infant and Nursery School Large reserves
- Clarkson Infants School Large reserves
- St Martin's School Large reserves
- St Peter's Church of England Voluntary Aided Junior, Infant and Early Years School Healthy
- Sprowston Junior School Large reserves
- Prees CofE Primary School Healthy
- Rosedale Primary School Heading for deficit
Where the money comes from, 2024-25
| Source | Amount | Per pupil |
|---|---|---|
Government grants | £1.5m | £8,157 |
SEN funding (part of grants) | £58k | £318 |
Pupil premium (part of grants) | £90k | £496 |
Self-generated (lettings, catering, donations) | £98k | £542 |
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?
- Pupil numbers have fallen 59% since 2018-19. How is the school planning for fewer pupils, and the funding that goes with them?
- Spending on supply staff is £673 a pupil, against a typical £165 for similar schools. What's behind that?
- Spending on energy is £393 a pupil, against a typical £124 for similar schools. What's behind that?
- Spending on premises is £582 a pupil, against a typical £386 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 Willow Tree Primary School · All Hertfordshire school finances