Our Lady Star of the Sea Catholic Primary School: school finances
Latest full year 2025-26, as a council-run school (CFR return, April to March). Sefton · Primary · Voluntary aided school
Large reserves
Holds £194k £977 per pupil in reserve, 10% of a year's income.
Status by year
- 2018-19 Large reserves reserve 8% or more of a year's income
- 2019-20 Large reserves same as the year before
- 2020-21 Healthy reserve between 3% and 8% of a year's income
- 2021-22 Large reserves reserve 8% or more of a year's income
- 2022-23 Large reserves same as the year before
- 2023-24 Large reserves same as the year before
- 2024-25 Large reserves same as the year before
- 2025-26 Large reserves same as the year before
Government funding vs spending per pupil
In 2025-26, government funding was £1.9m £9,791 per pupil and spending £2.0m £9,987 per pupil. Spending was £39k £197 per pupil more than government funding; the difference came from other income, such as lettings, catering or donations, or from the school's reserve.
Funding is the money a school receives; spending is what it pays out. The two differ when a school adds to or draws on its savings, and because some money is spent on its pupils by someone else: the council (for example special needs top-ups and transport) or, for academies, the trust's central team. (IFS, pp. 7, 10, 46, 52, 54)
Government funding is the academy accounts line "grant funding from government" in academy (AAR) years and the CFR grant funding total in council-run years. The two are not strictly comparable: CFR line I07 can include some money that is not from government.
Real terms: in 2025-26 prices (HM Treasury GDP deflator, October 2026).
Reserve per pupil by year
Real terms: in 2025-26 prices (HM Treasury GDP deflator, October 2026).
| Year | Pupils | Income | Spending | In-year balance | Reserve at year end |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | 198.5 | £2.0m £9,921 per pupil | £2.0m £9,987 per pupil | -£13k -£66 per pupil | £194k £977 per pupil |
| 2024-25 | 197.5 | £1.8m £9,130 per pupil | £1.8m £9,112 per pupil | +£4k +£18 per pupil | £207k £1,048 per pupil |
| 2023-24 | 207.0 | £1.7m £8,224 per pupil | £1.7m £8,119 per pupil | +£22k +£105 per pupil | £203k £983 per pupil |
| 2022-23 | 207.5 | £1.5m £7,388 per pupil | £1.5m £7,282 per pupil | +£22k +£106 per pupil | £182k £876 per pupil |
| 2021-22 | 198.0 | £1.4m £7,000 per pupil | £1.3m £6,652 per pupil | +£69k +£347 per pupil | £160k £807 per pupil |
| 2020-21 | 194.0 | £1.2m £6,391 per pupil | £1.3m £6,453 per pupil | -£12k -£62 per pupil | £91k £469 per pupil |
| 2019-20 | 193.0 | £1.2m £6,265 per pupil | £1.2m £6,293 per pupil | -£5k -£28 per pupil | £103k £534 per pupil |
| 2018-19 | 183.0 | £1.2m £6,384 per pupil | £1.2m £6,300 per pupil | +£15k +£84 per pupil | £108k £592 per pupil |
Where the money comes from
| Line | 2025-26 | Trend per pupil | Change per pupil since 2018-19 | Similar schools (median per pupil) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total income | £2.0m £9,921 per pupil | +55% +19% real | £10k | |
| Government funding | £1.9m £9,791 per pupil | +55% +18% real | £9k | |
| Special needs (SEN) funding | £175k £884 per pupil | +613% +442% real | £627 | |
| Pupil premium | £224k £1,126 per pupil | +37% +4% real | £1k | |
| Money the school raised itself | £26k £130 per pupil | +88% +44% real | £297 | |
| Donations (day-to-day) | £10k £50 per pupil | +2400% +1567% real | £3 | |
| Donations for buildings and equipment | £0 £0 per pupil | £0 | ||
| Facilities and services | £596 £3 per pupil | -79% -84% real | £161 | |
| Catering income | £5k £23 per pupil | -47% -60% real | £25 | |
| Other DfE grants | £91k £460 per pupil | +243% +161% real | £216 |
Other DfE grants is a container line. It includes the grants that cover higher employer pension and National Insurance costs, which cannot be separated out, so no figure is shown for them on their own. Not every rise in a school's income is extra spending power. When the government raised what schools pay as employers into staff pensions and National Insurance, it gave schools grants to cover the bill. The IFS describes this as extra money to pay for extra outgoings, with no change in real resources. About £2.3 billion of the growth in school funding between 2019–20 and 2025–26 was this kind of grant. So when a school's income jumps, check whether its staff costs jumped by the same amount: the money may simply have passed through. (IFS, p. 50)
Where it goes
| Line | 2025-26 | Trend per pupil | Change per pupil since 2018-19 | Similar schools (median per pupil) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total spending | £2.0m £9,987 per pupil | +59% +21% real | £10k | |
| Teachers | £821k £4,134 per pupil | +52% +16% real | £4k | |
| Supply staff | £69k £346 per pupil | +249% +166% real | £251 | |
| Support staff | £396k £1,993 per pupil | +64% +26% real | £2k | |
| Office and admin staff | £75k £375 per pupil | +32% +1% real | £497 | |
| Premises staff | £61k £310 per pupil | +37% +4% real | £285 | |
| Catering staff | £0 £0 per pupil | £0 | ||
| Other staff costs | £74k £373 per pupil | +106% +57% real | £222 | |
| All staff costs | £1.4m £7,290 per pupil | +60% +22% real | £7k | |
| Premises | £116k £583 per pupil | +75% +33% real | £521 | |
| Energy | £28k £140 per pupil | +65% +25% real | £151 | |
| Rates, water and other building costs | £188k £949 per pupil | +50% +14% real | £890 | |
| Catering | £131k £660 per pupil | +84% +40% real | £533 | |
| Learning resources | £143k £723 per pupil | +72% +31% real | £421 | |
| Supplies and services | £231k £1,165 per pupil | +49% +14% real | £954 | |
| Bought-in services | £58k £291 per pupil | -8% -30% real | £437 |
Staff costs were 73% of this school's spending in 2025-26. Across England, over 80% of schools' costs are staff costs. (IFS, p. 63)
In 2025-26 prices, this school spent £2.0m £9,987 per pupil in 2025-26. Across England, primary schools are expected to spend about £7,000 per pupil in 2025–26. (IFS, p. 7)
Pupils by year
- 2018-19 183.0
- 2019-20 193.0
- 2020-21 194.0
- 2021-22 198.0
- 2022-23 207.5
- 2023-24 207.0
- 2024-25 197.5
- 2025-26 198.5
Income that passed straight through
In 2025-26, this school's income rose by +£166k +£837 per pupil on the year before, and its staff costs by +£138k +£694 per pupil. Much of the extra money may have gone straight out again on higher pay, pension and National Insurance costs.
About £2.3 billion of the rise in school funding since 2019–20 was grants to cover higher employer pension and National Insurance costs, not extra spending power. (IFS, p. 50)
Money raised by parents
No registered parents' association found for Our Lady Star of the Sea Catholic Primary School. Charities with an income of £5,000 or less a year don't have to register with the Charity Commission, so many schools have an active PTA or friends' group that isn't on the register.
Across England, the typical registered parents' association raised £50 per pupil in 2025-26.
Intake and area
- 65% of pupils eligible for free school meals (median school: council 22%, England 22%)
- Neighbourhood deprivation decile 1 of 10 (1 = most deprived)
- Income deprivation affecting children: decile 1 of 10 (1 = most deprived)
- 19% of adults nearby hold a degree-level qualification
- 22% of nearby homes are owner-occupied
- 53% of nearby homes are social rented
Intake band 5 of 5 nationally, combining free-school-meal eligibility and the deprivation of the school's neighbourhood (1 = least disadvantaged, 5 = most).
Context, not a judgement: schools with different intakes get different funding and face different costs.
How my school's money is split
For pupils: out of every pound the school spent in 2025-26, here is roughly where it went, with the amount for each pupil.
- Teachers £889k £4,480 per pupil
- Support staff £396k £1,993 per pupil
- Buildings and grounds £116k £583 per pupil
- Energy £28k £140 per pupil
- Learning resources £143k £723 per pupil
- Everything else £411k £2,069 per pupil
National context
- Primary pupil numbers in England are expected to fall by over 300,000 (about 8%) between 2024–25 and 2030–31. (IFS, p. 19)
- Council-run primary schools spend about £400 (6%) more per pupil than primary academies, and council-run secondaries about £300 (4%) more, partly because trusts spend some money centrally. (IFS, p. 56)
- Pupil premium is £1,515 a year per eligible primary pupil and £1,075 per eligible secondary pupil, over 16% lower in real terms than in 2015–16. (IFS, p. 51)
- Mainstream schools are expected to fund the first £6,000 a year of extra support for a pupil with special needs from their own budget. (IFS, p. 46)
Questions to ask the school
Useful for parents, governors and PTFA committees.
- What is Our Lady Star of the Sea Catholic Primary School's £194k £977 per pupil reserve being kept for, and is there a timetable to spend it?
- How many pupils at Our Lady Star of the Sea Catholic Primary School have an EHCP or need extra support, and how is support above the first £6,000 a year funded? Why ask: Mainstream schools are expected to fund the first £6,000 a year per pupil from their core budget. (IFS, p. 46)
- How much does the PTA (or friends' association) raise each year, and what does it pay for?
- Is any of it already committed, for example to building work or to cover a planned overspend?
- Does the council's top-up money arrive on time and cover what the support actually costs?
- How does Our Lady Star of the Sea Catholic Primary School's spending per pupil compare with similar schools, and why? Why ask: Nationally, primaries spend about £7,000 and secondaries about £7,800 per pupil in 2025–26. (IFS, p. 7)
- Could some be spent on current pupils without putting future years at risk?
- Is the council's high needs budget in deficit, and could that affect the school's top-ups? Why ask: Councils' accumulated high needs deficits are forecast to reach £14 billion by 2028. Statutory override: since 2020-21 DSG deficits are held in a separate unusable reserve rather than met from council general funds. The override runs to the end of 2027-28. Under the February 2026 approach, the High Needs Stability Grant pays 90% of each LA's eligible DSG deficit at 31 March 2026 from autumn 2026, so 2026-27 balances will fall sharply. (IFS, p. 61)
Check at source
Every figure here comes from the school's published return. Check it on the DfE benchmarking page for this school, and see how the figures are worked out.
Similar schools: the closest in phase, size and share of pupils on free school meals.
- St Vincents Catholic Primary School, Newcastle
- Woodcock Hill Primary School
- Pegasus Primary School
- St Vincent's Catholic Primary School
- Deykin Avenue Junior and Infant School
Admissions and catchments for Our Lady Star of the Sea Catholic Primary School on Schools in Reach · All Sefton school finances · Schools in Bootle
- DfE Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool data: CFR returns for council-run schools (April to March) and academy accounts returns (September to August), Open Government Licence v3.0
- Get Information about Schools, Open Government Licence v3.0
- National context: IFS, Annual report on education spending in England: 2025–26 (January 2026); IFS figures are in 2025-26 prices (HM Treasury GDP deflator, November 2025)
- Real-terms figures on this page: in 2025-26 prices (HM Treasury GDP deflator, October 2026)