St Joseph's Catholic Primary School: school finances
Large reserves
Holds £605k in reserve, 14% of a year's income.
Latest full year 2025-26, as a council-run school (CFR return, April–March). Islington · Primary · Voluntary aided school.
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 | £3.0m | £2.8m | +£155k | £292k | 466 |
2019-20 | £3.2m | £3.1m | +£65k | £356k | 465 |
2020-21 | £3.1m | £2.8m | +£248k | £604k | 456 |
2021-22 | £3.1m | £2.9m | +£191k | £795k | 422 |
2022-23 | £3.1m | £3.1m | -£462 | £795k | 411 |
2023-24 | £3.1m | £3.2m | -£114k | £681k | 433 |
2024-25 | £3.9m | £3.8m | +£66k | £748k | 510 |
2025-26 | £4.3m | £4.5m | -£142k | £605k | 503 |
Compared with similar schools
Similar schools are the 30 primary schools in London closest in size and in the share of pupils on free school meals. Its reserve, as a share of income, is higher than 93% of them. It spends £8,869 a pupil in total; similar schools typically spend £8,756.
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 | £3,243 | £3,860 | £3,395–£4,234 |
Support staff (e.g. TAs) | £1,313 | £1,690 | £1,238–£2,188 |
Supply staff | £440 | £250 | £111–£431 |
Admin and clerical | £370 | £423 | £290–£537 |
Premises | £538 | £486 | £420–£536 |
Energy | £95 | £122 | £94–£159 |
Learning resources & ICT | £453 | £282 | £211–£340 |
Bought-in services | £974 | £268 | £131–£397 |
Compare side by side with the 3 most similar schools
Which schools are these?
- Olga Primary School In deficit
- Latymer All Saints CofE Primary School Healthy
- Firs Farm Primary School Healthy
- Star Primary School Large reserves
- Lordship Lane Primary School In deficit
- Ambler Primary School and Children's Centre Large reserves
- Belmore Primary Academy Large reserves
- St John's Primary School Healthy
- Woodside Primary School Healthy
- Sybourn Primary School Large reserves
- Hillbrook School Large reserves
- Bigland Green Primary School Large reserves
Where the money comes from, 2025-26
| Source | Amount | Per pupil |
|---|---|---|
Government grants | £3.7m | £7,448 |
SEN funding (part of grants) | £131k | £261 |
Pupil premium (part of grants) | £229k | £456 |
Self-generated (lettings, catering, donations) | £629k | £1,251 |
Money raised by parents
PARENTS AND FRIENDS OF ST JOSEPH'S SCHOOL HIGHGATE (charity 1124037, Registered) raised £27k in its latest year.
| Year ending | Income | Spending |
|---|---|---|
2025-03 | £27k | £30k |
2024-03 | £25k | £32k |
2023-03 | £23k | £12k |
2022-03 | £13k | £6k |
2021-03 | £2k | £1k |
Matched to this school by name and postcode from the Charity Commission register. Parent associations' money isn't in the school's accounts above.
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 £974 a pupil, against a typical £268 for similar schools. What's behind that?
- Spending on learning resources & ict is £453 a pupil, against a typical £282 for similar schools. What's behind that?
- How does the school decide what the money the parents' association raises is spent on?
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 Joseph's Catholic Primary School · All Islington school finances