Our Lady and St Gerard's Roman Catholic Primary School, Lostock Hall: school finances
Latest full year 2025-26, as a council-run school (CFR return, April to March). Lancashire · Primary · Voluntary aided school
Healthy
Holds £153k £457 per pupil in reserve, 7% of a year's income. It has spent more than it received for 4 years, so watch the trend.
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 Large reserves same as the year before
- 2021-22 Large reserves same as the year before
- 2022-23 Large reserves same as the year before
- 2023-24 Large reserves same as the year before
- 2024-25 Heading for deficit spending more than it received, reserve running down
- 2025-26 Healthy reserve between 3% and 8% of a year's income
Government funding vs spending per pupil
In 2025-26, government funding was £2.0m £6,114 per pupil and spending £2.2m £6,531 per pupil. Spending was £140k £417 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 | 334.5 | £2.2m £6,471 per pupil | £2.2m £6,531 per pupil | -£20k -£60 per pupil | £153k £457 per pupil |
| 2024-25 | 338.0 | £2.1m £6,154 per pupil | £2.1m £6,235 per pupil | -£27k -£81 per pupil | £173k £511 per pupil |
| 2023-24 | 352.5 | £1.9m £5,481 per pupil | £2.0m £5,537 per pupil | -£20k -£56 per pupil | £200k £568 per pupil |
| 2022-23 | 345.0 | £1.8m £5,125 per pupil | £1.9m £5,638 per pupil | -£177k -£512 per pupil | £220k £638 per pupil |
| 2021-22 | 337.0 | £1.7m £4,951 per pupil | £1.6m £4,693 per pupil | +£87k +£258 per pupil | £397k £1,177 per pupil |
| 2020-21 | 330.0 | £1.6m £4,920 per pupil | £1.5m £4,515 per pupil | +£133k +£404 per pupil | £310k £938 per pupil |
| 2019-20 | 341.0 | £1.5m £4,498 per pupil | £1.5m £4,392 per pupil | +£36k +£106 per pupil | £176k £517 per pupil |
| 2018-19 | 343.0 | £1.4m £4,179 per pupil | £1.4m £4,168 per pupil | +£4k +£11 per pupil | £140k £408 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 | £2.2m £6,471 per pupil | +55% +18% real | £7k | |
| Government funding | £2.0m £6,114 per pupil | +53% +17% real | £6k | |
| Special needs (SEN) funding | £124k £372 per pupil | +9200% +7340% real | £227 | |
| Pupil premium | £92k £274 per pupil | +14% -13% real | £302 | |
| Money the school raised itself | £120k £358 per pupil | +91% +46% real | £416 | |
| Donations (day-to-day) | £18k £54 per pupil | £13 | ||
| Donations for buildings and equipment | £0 £0 per pupil | £0 | ||
| Facilities and services | £65k £195 per pupil | +509% +376% real | £274 | |
| Catering income | £12k £36 per pupil | -18% -37% real | £5 | |
| Other DfE grants | £60k £179 per pupil | -1% -24% real | £224 |
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 | £2.2m £6,531 per pupil | +57% +20% real | £7k | |
| Teachers | £1.2m £3,580 per pupil | +74% +32% real | £4k | |
| Supply staff | £43k £129 per pupil | +55% +18% real | £51 | |
| Support staff | £378k £1,129 per pupil | +104% +56% real | £1k | |
| Office and admin staff | £80k £240 per pupil | +48% +13% real | £321 | |
| Premises staff | £46k £138 per pupil | +73% +31% real | £176 | |
| Catering staff | £0 £0 per pupil | £0 | ||
| Other staff costs | £47k £139 per pupil | +78% +35% real | £232 | |
| All staff costs | £1.8m £5,292 per pupil | +77% +35% real | £6k | |
| Premises | £97k £289 per pupil | -36% -51% real | £308 | |
| Energy | £27k £80 per pupil | +51% +16% real | £85 | |
| Rates, water and other building costs | £146k £435 per pupil | +37% +4% real | £555 | |
| Catering | £88k £262 per pupil | +30% -1% real | £300 | |
| Learning resources | £55k £164 per pupil | -28% -45% real | £291 | |
| Supplies and services | £172k £515 per pupil | +25% -5% real | £575 | |
| Bought-in services | £102k £305 per pupil | +193% +123% real | £174 |
Staff costs were 81% 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 £2.2m £6,531 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
- 2018-19 343.0
- 2019-20 341.0
- 2020-21 330.0
- 2021-22 337.0
- 2022-23 345.0
- 2023-24 352.5
- 2024-25 338.0
- 2025-26 334.5
Money raised by parents
| School year | Raised | Spent |
|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 year to August 2025 | £5k £15 per pupil | £4k £11 per pupil |
| 2024-25 year to August 2024 | £4k £11 per pupil | £4k £11 per pupil |
| 2023-24 year to August 2023 | £4k £11 per pupil | £5k £15 per pupil |
| 2022-23 year to August 2022 | £3k £9 per pupil | £6k £18 per pupil |
| 2021-22 year to August 2021 | £3k £8 per pupil | £6k £17 per pupil |
- FRIENDS OF OUR LADY AND ST GERARDS SCHOOL (charity 1112348) Latest return: £5k £15 per pupil in the year to August 2025.
Each return is placed in the school year that holds the end of the charity's financial year, and per-pupil figures use that year's pupils. A parents' association's money is its own and isn't in the school's accounts above. Money a parents' association gives the school can also appear in the school's own accounts as donations, so the two can overlap. They are shown separately here and never added together.
Across England, the typical registered parents' association raised £50 per pupil in 2025-26.
Intake and area
- 18% of pupils eligible for free school meals (median school: council 21%, England 22%)
- Neighbourhood deprivation decile 9 of 10 (1 = most deprived)
- Income deprivation affecting children: decile 8 of 10 (1 = most deprived)
- 31% of adults nearby hold a degree-level qualification
- 88% of nearby homes are owner-occupied
- 2% of nearby homes are social rented
Intake band 2 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 £1.2m £3,709 per pupil
- Support staff £378k £1,129 per pupil
- Buildings and grounds £97k £289 per pupil
- Energy £27k £80 per pupil
- Learning resources £55k £164 per pupil
- Everything else £388k £1,159 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.
- How much does the PTA (or friends' association) raise each year, and what does it pay for?
- How does Our Lady and St Gerard's Roman Catholic Primary School, Lostock Hall'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)
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.
- Folly View Primary
- Beecroft Primary School
- Falcons Primary School
- Featherstone North Featherstone Junior and Infant School
- Southmead School
Admissions and catchments for Our Lady and St Gerard's Roman Catholic Primary School, Lostock Hall on Schools in Reach · All Lancashire school finances · Schools in Ribble Valley
- 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
- Charity Commission register, 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)