St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Lea Town: school finances
Large reserves
Holds £111k in reserve, 14% of a year's income.
Latest full year 2024-25, as a council-run school (CFR return, April–March). Lancashire · 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 | £553k | £578k | -£24k | £40k | 105 |
2019-20 | £593k | £575k | +£18k | £58k | 103 |
2020-21 | £563k | £532k | +£31k | £90k | 102 |
2021-22 | £615k | £609k | +£6k | £95k | 104 |
2022-23 | £659k | £680k | -£21k | £74k | 106 |
2023-24 | £703k | £693k | +£10k | £84k | 107 |
2024-25 | £806k | £780k | +£27k | £111k | 108 |
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 £7,220 a pupil in total; similar schools typically spend £7,895.
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 | £3,210 | £3,515 | £3,196–£3,819 |
Support staff (e.g. TAs) | £1,336 | £1,499 | £1,102–£1,720 |
Supply staff | £93 | £138 | £47–£255 |
Admin and clerical | £0 | £383 | £301–£501 |
Premises | £357 | £373 | £301–£469 |
Energy | £181 | £120 | £84–£155 |
Learning resources & ICT | £441 | £353 | £261–£484 |
Bought-in services | £747 | £248 | £89–£346 |
Compare side by side with the 3 most similar schools
Which schools are these?
- Frizington Community Primary School Large reserves
- Moggerhanger Primary School Healthy
- St Catherine's Catholic Primary School, Penrith Large reserves
- Clifton CofE Primary School In deficit
- Padbury Church of England School Large reserves
- St Mary's Church of England Primary School, Edwinstowe Large reserves
- Buckland Newton Church of England Primary School In deficit
- Symondsbury Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School Healthy
- Bradfield Primary School Healthy
- Kenninghall Primary School Heading for deficit
- Rollesby Primary School Healthy
- Forton Primary School Healthy
Where the money comes from, 2024-25
| Source | Amount | Per pupil |
|---|---|---|
Government grants | £762k | £7,054 |
SEN funding (part of grants) | £53k | £488 |
Pupil premium (part of grants) | £37k | £345 |
Self-generated (lettings, catering, donations) | £45k | £413 |
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 £747 a pupil, against a typical £248 for similar schools. What's behind that?
- Spending on energy is £181 a pupil, against a typical £120 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 Primary School, Lea Town · All Lancashire school finances