St Joseph's RC Primary School, Halliwell, Bolton: school finances
Large reserves
Holds £158k in reserve, 9% of a year's income.
Latest full year 2025-26, as a council-run school (CFR return, April–March). Bolton · 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 | £1.1m | £1.1m | +£3k | £92k | 224 |
2019-20 | £1.2m | £1.2m | -£15k | £78k | 218 |
2020-21 | £1.3m | £1.2m | +£77k | £154k | 217 |
2021-22 | £1.3m | £1.3m | -£19k | £136k | 216 |
2022-23 | £1.4m | £1.5m | -£60k | £76k | 223 |
2023-24 | £1.6m | £1.5m | +£39k | £115k | 230 |
2024-25 | £1.6m | £1.6m | +£42k | £157k | 224 |
2025-26 | £1.7m | £1.7m | +£887 | £158k | 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 60% of them. It spends £7,932 a pupil in total; similar schools typically spend £7,487.
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 | £3,442 | £3,403 | £2,875–£3,729 |
Support staff (e.g. TAs) | £1,650 | £1,688 | £1,365–£2,062 |
Supply staff | £468 | £122 | £82–£263 |
Admin and clerical | £360 | £355 | £308–£450 |
Premises | £393 | £410 | £334–£464 |
Energy | £146 | £110 | £91–£150 |
Learning resources & ICT | £569 | £292 | £220–£382 |
Bought-in services | £485 | £246 | £139–£339 |
Compare side by side with the 3 most similar schools
Which schools are these?
- Stonebroom Primary and Nursery School Large reserves
- Pearson Primary School Healthy
- Park View Primary Academy Large reserves
- St Margaret's at Troy Town CofE Voluntary Controlled Primary School Healthy
- Radleys Primary School Healthy
- Stretton Church of England Academy Healthy
- Greenfields Community Primary School Healthy
- Newsome Junior Academy Healthy
- St Augustine's CofE (Voluntary Aided) Junior School Healthy
- Annie Lennard Primary School Large reserves
- Coppice Primary School Large reserves
- Church Vale Primary School and Foundation Unit Tight
Where the money comes from, 2025-26
| Source | Amount | Per pupil |
|---|---|---|
Government grants | £1.6m | £7,641 |
SEN funding (part of grants) | £103k | £480 |
Pupil premium (part of grants) | £129k | £600 |
Self-generated (lettings, catering, donations) | £63k | £296 |
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 £468 a pupil, against a typical £122 for similar schools. What's behind that?
- Spending on bought-in services is £485 a pupil, against a typical £246 for similar schools. What's behind that?
- Spending on learning resources & ict is £569 a pupil, against a typical £292 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.
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