Castle Hill Primary School: school finances
Tight
Holds £21k 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). Bolton · 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 | +£6k | £29k | 218 |
2019-20 | £1.6m | £1.6m | -£11k | £19k | 216 |
2020-21 | £1.8m | £1.7m | +£103k | £122k | 216 |
2021-22 | £1.7m | £1.7m | +£4k | £126k | 214 |
2022-23 | £1.9m | £1.9m | -£66k | £60k | 212 |
2023-24 | £2.0m | £2.1m | -£64k | -£4k | 224 |
2024-25 | £2.2m | £2.2m | -£6k | -£10k | 224 |
2025-26 | £2.3m | £2.3m | +£31k | £21k | 214 |
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 13% of them. It spends £10,750 a pupil in total; similar schools typically spend £8,109.
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 | £3,692 | £3,487 | £3,133–£3,724 |
Support staff (e.g. TAs) | £2,785 | £1,726 | £1,465–£2,255 |
Supply staff | £679 | £132 | £67–£300 |
Admin and clerical | £256 | £324 | £259–£428 |
Premises | £1 | £470 | £395–£578 |
Energy | £0 | £134 | £114–£175 |
Learning resources & ICT | £453 | £341 | £223–£433 |
Bought-in services | £371 | £222 | £114–£333 |
Compare side by side with the 3 most similar schools
Which schools are these?
- North Walsall Primary Academy Tight
- St Anne's Roman Catholic Primary School Blackburn Large reserves
- Willow Primary Academy In deficit
- George Grenville Academy In deficit
- Leamore Primary School Large reserves
- New Silksworth Academy Junior Large reserves
- Holy Rosary Catholic Primary Academy Large reserves
- Ravenscroft Community Primary School Healthy
- Prince Bishops Community Primary School Heading for deficit
- Falmouth Primary Academy Healthy
- Smallthorne Primary Academy Healthy
- Hannah More Primary School In deficit
Where the money comes from, 2025-26
| Source | Amount | Per pupil |
|---|---|---|
Government grants | £2.3m | £10,589 |
SEN funding (part of grants) | £94k | £439 |
Pupil premium (part of grants) | £178k | £831 |
Self-generated (lettings, catering, donations) | £65k | £305 |
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 supply staff is £679 a pupil, against a typical £132 for similar schools. What's behind that?
- Spending on bought-in services is £371 a pupil, against a typical £222 for similar schools. What's behind that?
- Spending on support staff (e.g. tas) is £2,785 a pupil, against a typical £1,726 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 Castle Hill Primary School · All Bolton school finances