Woodlands Primary School: school finances
Large reserves
Holds £434k in reserve, 20% of a year's income. It has been drawing on it for 2 years.
Latest full year 2025-26, as a council-run school (CFR return, April–March). Sefton · 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 | £1.5m | £1.5m | +£15k | £174k | 338 |
2019-20 | £1.5m | £1.5m | -£31k | £143k | 336 |
2020-21 | £1.6m | £1.5m | +£109k | £252k | 340 |
2021-22 | £1.6m | £1.6m | +£33k | £286k | 346 |
2022-23 | £1.8m | £1.7m | +£68k | £354k | 356 |
2023-24 | £1.9m | £1.9m | +£82k | £436k | 348 |
2024-25 | £2.0m | £2.0m | -£1k | £435k | 334 |
2025-26 | £2.1m | £2.1m | -£684 | £434k | 332 |
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 100% of them. It spends £6,443 a pupil in total; similar schools typically spend £6,605.
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 | £3,180 | £3,155 | £2,849–£3,372 |
Support staff (e.g. TAs) | £889 | £1,272 | £1,017–£1,622 |
Supply staff | £241 | £100 | £50–£156 |
Admin and clerical | £231 | £276 | £191–£328 |
Premises | £436 | £301 | £258–£350 |
Energy | £86 | £90 | £71–£101 |
Learning resources & ICT | £410 | £243 | £215–£320 |
Bought-in services | £263 | £138 | £66–£221 |
Compare side by side with the 3 most similar schools
Which schools are these?
- Drayton CofE Junior School Heading for deficit
- St Teresa's Catholic Primary School Large reserves
- Preston Primary School Tight
- Hook Infant School In deficit
- Buckden CofE Primary School Large reserves
- Great Sankey Primary School Large reserves
- Snaith Primary School In deficit
- Wolvercote Primary School Healthy
- Edith Moorhouse Primary School Large reserves
- Chandlers Ridge Academy Tight
- Meadows First School Large reserves
- Scholes (Elmet) Primary School Healthy
Where the money comes from, 2025-26
| Source | Amount | Per pupil |
|---|---|---|
Government grants | £2.0m | £6,115 |
SEN funding (part of grants) | £69k | £208 |
Pupil premium (part of grants) | £68k | £204 |
Self-generated (lettings, catering, donations) | £108k | £326 |
Money raised by parents
FRIENDS OF WOODLANDS SCHOOL ASSOCIATION (charity 1002777, Registered) raised £7k in its latest year.
| Year ending | Income | Spending |
|---|---|---|
2025-08 | £7k | £5k |
2024-08 | £11k | £7k |
2023-08 | £15k | £18k |
2022-08 | £18k | £19k |
2021-08 | £16k | £12k |
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 supply staff is £241 a pupil, against a typical £100 for similar schools. What's behind that?
- Spending on bought-in services is £263 a pupil, against a typical £138 for similar schools. What's behind that?
- Spending on learning resources & ict is £410 a pupil, against a typical £243 for similar schools. What's behind that?
- Spending on premises is £436 a pupil, against a typical £301 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 Woodlands Primary School · All Sefton school finances