St James's CofE Primary School: school finances
Tight
Holds £55k in reserve, under 3% of a year's income: little room for surprises.
Latest full year 2025-26, as a council-run school (CFR return, April–March). Dudley · 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 | £1.9m | £2.0m | -£99k | -£19k | 408 |
2019-20 | £2.0m | £2.0m | +£4k | -£15k | 409 |
2020-21 | £2.1m | £2.0m | +£35k | £20k | 415 |
2021-22 | £2.2m | £2.2m | +£23k | £43k | 412 |
2022-23 | £2.3m | £2.3m | -£18k | £25k | 417 |
2023-24 | £2.4m | £2.3m | +£99k | £124k | 410 |
2024-25 | £2.5m | £2.4m | +£68k | £192k | 398 |
2025-26 | £2.7m | £2.8m | -£137k | £55k | 390 |
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 20% of them. It spends £7,193 a pupil in total; similar schools typically spend £6,229.
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 | £3,195 | £3,026 | £2,787–£3,246 |
Support staff (e.g. TAs) | £1,769 | £1,235 | £1,087–£1,501 |
Supply staff | £32 | £105 | £47–£120 |
Admin and clerical | £310 | £256 | £204–£342 |
Premises | £432 | £287 | £248–£376 |
Energy | £81 | £80 | £67–£95 |
Learning resources & ICT | £248 | £246 | £192–£304 |
Bought-in services | £380 | £120 | £75–£215 |
Compare side by side with the 3 most similar schools
Which schools are these?
- Nunnery Wood Primary School Large reserves
- Sherard Primary School Healthy
- Hamsey Green Primary Large reserves
- Hoyland Common Primary School Large reserves
- St Matthew's CofE Primary School Healthy
- St Bartholomew's Primary Academy Healthy
- Halling Primary School Large reserves
- Prenton Primary School Healthy
- St Nicolas Church of England Primary School, Abingdon Large reserves
- St Mary's RC Primary School, Manchester, A Voluntary Academy Healthy
- Bowerhill Primary School Large reserves
- Christ The King Catholic Primary School Heading for deficit
Where the money comes from, 2025-26
| Source | Amount | Per pupil |
|---|---|---|
Government grants | £2.5m | £6,424 |
SEN funding (part of grants) | £136k | £349 |
Pupil premium (part of grants) | £104k | £267 |
Self-generated (lettings, catering, donations) | £163k | £419 |
Money raised by parents
ST JAMES'S CHURCH OF ENGLAND PRIMARY SCHOOL PARENTS, TEACHERS AND FRIENDS ASSOCIATION (charity 516923, Registered) raised £14k in its latest year.
| Year ending | Income | Spending |
|---|---|---|
2025-09 | £14k | £6k |
2024-09 | £15k | £5k |
2023-09 | £9k | £5k |
2022-09 | £8k | £4k |
2021-09 | £7k | £5k |
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 would the school do if costs rose unexpectedly, such as energy or a pay award that isn't fully funded?
- Spending on bought-in services is £380 a pupil, against a typical £120 for similar schools. What's behind that?
- Spending on premises is £432 a pupil, against a typical £287 for similar schools. What's behind that?
- Spending on support staff (e.g. tas) is £1,769 a pupil, against a typical £1,235 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.
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