Our Lady Star of the Sea Catholic Primary School: school finances
Large reserves
Holds £194k in reserve, 10% of a year's income.
Latest full year 2025-26, as a council-run school (CFR return, April–March). Sefton · 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 | £1.2m | £1.2m | +£15k | £108k | 183 |
2019-20 | £1.2m | £1.2m | -£5k | £103k | 193 |
2020-21 | £1.2m | £1.3m | -£12k | £91k | 194 |
2021-22 | £1.4m | £1.3m | +£69k | £160k | 198 |
2022-23 | £1.5m | £1.5m | +£22k | £182k | 208 |
2023-24 | £1.7m | £1.7m | +£22k | £203k | 207 |
2024-25 | £1.8m | £1.8m | +£4k | £207k | 198 |
2025-26 | £2.0m | £2.0m | -£13k | £194k | 198 |
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 63% of them. It spends £9,987 a pupil in total; similar schools typically spend £8,900.
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 | £4,134 | £3,796 | £3,339–£4,224 |
Support staff (e.g. TAs) | £1,993 | £1,776 | £1,251–£2,185 |
Supply staff | £416 | £303 | £159–£800 |
Admin and clerical | £375 | £403 | £338–£531 |
Premises | £583 | £488 | £424–£659 |
Energy | £140 | £149 | £113–£172 |
Learning resources & ICT | £723 | £329 | £237–£482 |
Bought-in services | £291 | £256 | £185–£605 |
Compare side by side with the 3 most similar schools
Which schools are these?
- St Vincents Catholic Primary School, Newcastle Large reserves
- Woodcock Hill Primary School Healthy
- Pegasus Primary School Large reserves
- St Vincent's Catholic Primary School In deficit
- Deykin Avenue Junior and Infant School In deficit
- St Marie's Catholic Primary School Large reserves
- St Ambrose Catholic Academy Healthy
- St Peter's Catholic Primary School Large reserves
- St George's Church of England Community Primary School, Gainsborough Healthy
- Cotmanhay Infant and Nursery School Healthy
- Sir Martin Frobisher Academy Heading for deficit
- The Priory Parish CofE Primary School Healthy
Where the money comes from, 2025-26
| Source | Amount | Per pupil |
|---|---|---|
Government grants | £1.9m | £9,791 |
SEN funding (part of grants) | £175k | £884 |
Pupil premium (part of grants) | £224k | £1,126 |
Self-generated (lettings, catering, donations) | £26k | £130 |
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 learning resources & ict is £723 a pupil, against a typical £329 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 Our Lady Star of the Sea Catholic Primary School · All Sefton school finances