Sandal Castle VA Community Primary School: school finances
Healthy
Holds £231k in reserve, 6% of a year's income.
Latest full year 2025-26, as a council-run school (CFR return, April–March). Wakefield · 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 | £3.0m | £3.1m | -£23k | £56k | 614 |
2019-20 | £3.2m | £3.1m | +£49k | £105k | 606 |
2020-21 | £3.1m | £3.0m | +£89k | £194k | 620 |
2021-22 | £3.3m | £3.1m | +£197k | £392k | 623 |
2022-23 | £3.4m | £3.5m | -£126k | £266k | 618 |
2023-24 | £3.6m | £3.5m | +£49k | £314k | 625 |
2024-25 | £3.6m | £3.7m | -£110k | £205k | 618 |
2025-26 | £3.9m | £3.9m | +£26k | £231k | 608 |
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 30% of them. It spends £6,356 a pupil in total; similar schools typically spend £6,487.
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 | £2,941 | £3,187 | £2,906–£3,503 |
Support staff (e.g. TAs) | £1,359 | £1,358 | £1,117–£1,715 |
Supply staff | £129 | £86 | £30–£167 |
Admin and clerical | £269 | £257 | £207–£371 |
Premises | £303 | £331 | £261–£377 |
Energy | £136 | £79 | £65–£108 |
Learning resources & ICT | £230 | £236 | £174–£304 |
Bought-in services | £174 | £146 | £48–£213 |
Compare side by side with the 3 most similar schools
Which schools are these?
- Dallow Primary School Large reserves
- Denbigh Primary School Large reserves
- Bishops Cleeve Primary Academy Large reserves
- Withycombe Raleigh Church of England Primary School Healthy
- Allerton CofE Primary School Heading for deficit
- Minster in Sheppey Primary School Large reserves
- Gossops Green Primary Healthy
- Knowle Park Primary School Large reserves
- Fairfield Spencer Academy Large reserves
- The Canons C of E Primary School Large reserves
- Mulberry Silverdale Primary Tight
- Whitehall Primary School In deficit
Where the money comes from, 2025-26
| Source | Amount | Per pupil |
|---|---|---|
Government grants | £3.7m | £6,104 |
SEN funding (part of grants) | £97k | £159 |
Pupil premium (part of grants) | £246k | £404 |
Self-generated (lettings, catering, donations) | £273k | £449 |
Questions to ask the school
Useful for parents, governors and PTA committees.
- Spending on energy is £136 a pupil, against a typical £79 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 Sandal Castle VA Community Primary School · All Wakefield school finances