Cottenham Primary School: school finances
Healthy
Holds £154k in reserve, 5% of a year's income.
Latest full year 2025-26, as a council-run school (CFR return, April–March). Cambridgeshire · 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 | £2.5m | £2.4m | +£81k | £152k | 536 |
2019-20 | £2.4m | £2.4m | -£16k | £136k | 534 |
2020-21 | £2.6m | £2.4m | +£149k | £285k | 502 |
2021-22 | £2.6m | £2.6m | +£773 | £286k | 484 |
2022-23 | £2.7m | £2.8m | -£80k | £206k | 479 |
2023-24 | £2.8m | £2.9m | -£67k | £139k | 481 |
2024-25 | £3.0m | £3.0m | +£1k | £141k | 480 |
2025-26 | £3.1m | £3.1m | +£13k | £154k | 471 |
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 27% of them. It spends £6,552 a pupil in total; similar schools typically spend £6,259.
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 | £3,409 | £3,020 | £2,747–£3,265 |
Support staff (e.g. TAs) | £1,183 | £1,307 | £972–£1,433 |
Supply staff | £110 | £95 | £21–£155 |
Admin and clerical | £497 | £274 | £198–£310 |
Premises | £299 | £304 | £256–£352 |
Energy | £85 | £91 | £74–£119 |
Learning resources & ICT | £310 | £284 | £238–£365 |
Bought-in services | £34 | £79 | £59–£162 |
Compare side by side with the 3 most similar schools
Which schools are these?
- Weddington Primary School Large reserves
- Avenue Junior School Healthy
- Beaufort Primary School Heading for deficit
- Farnborough Road Junior School Healthy
- Malvern Primary School Healthy
- Thorndown Primary School In deficit
- Weston All Saints CofE Primary School In deficit
- Dunmow St Mary's Primary School Large reserves
- Wells Hall Primary School Healthy
- St Andrew's CofE Primary School Large reserves
- Meadow View Academy Healthy
- Whiteknights Primary School Large reserves
Where the money comes from, 2025-26
| Source | Amount | Per pupil |
|---|---|---|
Government grants | £2.9m | £6,246 |
SEN funding (part of grants) | £162k | £345 |
Pupil premium (part of grants) | £139k | £296 |
Self-generated (lettings, catering, donations) | £158k | £335 |
Money raised by parents
COTTENHAM PRIMARY SCHOOL PARENT TEACHER AND COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION (charity 1136992, Registered) raised £43k in its latest year.
| Year ending | Income | Spending |
|---|---|---|
2025-08 | £43k | £47k |
2024-08 | £37k | £17k |
2023-08 | £33k | £41k |
2022-08 | £27k | £16k |
2021-08 | £21k | £10k |
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.
- Pupil numbers have fallen 12% since 2018-19. How is the school planning for fewer pupils, and the funding that goes with them?
- Spending on admin and clerical is £497 a pupil, against a typical £274 for similar schools. What's behind that?
- How does the school decide what the money the parents' association raises is spent on?
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 Cottenham Primary School · All Cambridgeshire school finances