Bigland Green Primary School: school finances
Large reserves
Holds £785k in reserve, 18% of a year's income. It has been drawing on it for 4 years.
Latest full year 2025-26, as a council-run school (CFR return, April–March). Tower Hamlets · Primary · Community 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 | £3.4m | £3.2m | +£223k | £545k | 475 |
2019-20 | £3.5m | £3.2m | +£244k | £789k | 468 |
2020-21 | £3.5m | £3.3m | +£210k | £999k | 456 |
2021-22 | £3.6m | £3.6m | +£72k | £1.1m | 467 |
2022-23 | £3.8m | £3.9m | -£152k | £919k | 476 |
2023-24 | £4.1m | £4.1m | -£5k | £914k | 474 |
2024-25 | £4.2m | £4.2m | -£29k | £885k | 474 |
2025-26 | £4.5m | £4.6m | -£100k | £785k | 476 |
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 97% of them. It spends £9,594 a pupil in total; similar schools typically spend £8,657.
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 | £4,113 | £3,724 | £3,445–£4,058 |
Support staff (e.g. TAs) | £2,878 | £1,723 | £1,229–£2,065 |
Supply staff | £58 | £210 | £72–£587 |
Admin and clerical | £284 | £426 | £327–£603 |
Premises | £646 | £485 | £386–£531 |
Energy | £123 | £121 | £94–£156 |
Learning resources & ICT | £192 | £279 | £234–£365 |
Bought-in services | £209 | £330 | £150–£516 |
Compare side by side with the 3 most similar schools
Which schools are these?
- Harris Primary Academy Merton Large reserves
- St John's Primary School Healthy
- Fairchildes Primary School Large reserves
- The Willow Primary School Healthy
- Lordship Lane Primary School In deficit
- Oakthorpe Primary School In deficit
- Woodside Primary School Healthy
- Cyril Jackson Primary School Healthy
- Queenswell Junior School In deficit
- Olga Primary School In deficit
- Ellen Wilkinson Primary School Large reserves
- Grange Primary School Healthy
Where the money comes from, 2025-26
| Source | Amount | Per pupil |
|---|---|---|
Government grants | £4.3m | £9,042 |
SEN funding (part of grants) | £310k | £651 |
Pupil premium (part of grants) | £270k | £568 |
Self-generated (lettings, catering, donations) | £162k | £342 |
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 support staff (e.g. tas) is £2,878 a pupil, against a typical £1,723 for similar schools. What's behind that?
- Spending on premises is £646 a pupil, against a typical £485 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 Bigland Green Primary School · All Tower Hamlets school finances