Hightown Primary School: school finances
Heading for deficit
Has spent more than it received for 4 years running; at that rate its £24k reserve runs out in about 1 year.
Latest full year 2025-26, as a council-run school (CFR return, April–March). Kirklees · Primary · Academy converter.
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 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 | £1.2m | £1.3m | -£13k | £36k | 223 |
2019-20 | £1.3m | £1.3m | -£10k | £26k | 221 |
2020-21 | £1.3m | £1.3m | +£48k | £74k | 217 |
2021-22 | £1.3m | £1.3m | +£16k | £90k | 212 |
2022-23 | £1.4m | £1.4m | -£13k | £77k | 209 |
2023-24 | £1.4m | £1.5m | -£40k | £37k | 196 |
2024-25 | £1.5m | £1.5m | -£3k | £34k | 198 |
2025-26 | £1.6m | £1.6m | -£10k | £24k | 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 3% of them. It spends £7,888 a pupil in total; similar schools typically spend £7,422.
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 | £3,462 | £3,418 | £3,040–£3,663 |
Support staff (e.g. TAs) | £1,680 | £1,516 | £1,258–£1,745 |
Supply staff | £355 | £101 | £50–£132 |
Admin and clerical | £400 | £422 | £327–£503 |
Premises | £357 | £389 | £333–£468 |
Energy | £140 | £108 | £84–£149 |
Learning resources & ICT | £405 | £352 | £261–£451 |
Bought-in services | £179 | £181 | £87–£281 |
Compare side by side with the 3 most similar schools
Which schools are these?
- Ashbourne Primary School Healthy
- St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Hunslet Healthy
- Avishayes Community Primary School Large reserves
- Holy Family Catholic Primary School Large reserves
- The Reddings Primary School Large reserves
- Ongar Place Primary School Large reserves
- Barleyhurst Park Primary Tight
- Buglawton Primary School Heading for deficit
- The Trinity Church of England Primary Academy Large reserves
- St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Christchurch Tight
- St Paul's CofE Primary School Healthy
- Winchelsea Primary School Ruskington Heading for deficit
Where the money comes from, 2025-26
| Source | Amount | Per pupil |
|---|---|---|
Government grants | £1.5m | £7,464 |
SEN funding (part of grants) | £145k | £719 |
Pupil premium (part of grants) | £112k | £557 |
Self-generated (lettings, catering, donations) | £75k | £372 |
Questions to ask the school
Useful for parents, governors and PTA committees.
- What is the plan to stop spending more than the school receives each year?
- Pupil numbers have fallen 10% since 2018-19. How is the school planning for fewer pupils, and the funding that goes with them?
- Spending on supply staff is £355 a pupil, against a typical £101 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 Hightown Primary School · All Kirklees school finances