The Grove Primary School: school finances
Tight
Holds £50k 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). 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 | £1.6m | £1.6m | +£5k | £142k | 278 |
2019-20 | £1.7m | £1.6m | +£55k | £197k | 261 |
2020-21 | £1.5m | £1.6m | -£92k | £105k | 230 |
2021-22 | £1.5m | £1.6m | -£56k | £50k | 225 |
2022-23 | £1.6m | £1.7m | -£36k | £13k | 251 |
2023-24 | £1.8m | £1.8m | +£12k | £25k | 245 |
2024-25 | £1.9m | £2.0m | -£45k | -£20k | 234 |
2025-26 | £2.0m | £2.0m | +£69k | £50k | 210 |
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 £9,353 a pupil in total; similar schools typically spend £7,631.
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 | £3,413 | £3,281 | £2,909–£3,922 |
Support staff (e.g. TAs) | £2,153 | £1,731 | £1,364–£2,196 |
Supply staff | £25 | £176 | £35–£283 |
Admin and clerical | £335 | £356 | £214–£438 |
Premises | £743 | £408 | £317–£559 |
Energy | £213 | £133 | £102–£153 |
Learning resources & ICT | £221 | £363 | £262–£426 |
Bought-in services | £238 | £178 | £69–£357 |
Compare side by side with the 3 most similar schools
Which schools are these?
- Burnley St Peter's Church of England Primary School Healthy
- Leigh Central Primary School Large reserves
- Radford Primary School Academy Healthy
- Catchgate Primary School Healthy
- Our Lady of the Assumption Catholic Primary School Large reserves
- Dawley Church of England Primary Academy Large reserves
- Hindley Junior and Infant School Large reserves
- Parkwood Primary School Large reserves
- St Meriadoc CofE Junior Academy Healthy
- Deal Parochial Church of England Primary School In deficit
- Bede Community Primary School In deficit
- Broken Cross Primary Academy and Nursery Large reserves
Where the money comes from, 2025-26
| Source | Amount | Per pupil |
|---|---|---|
Government grants | £1.9m | £8,881 |
SEN funding (part of grants) | £117k | £557 |
Pupil premium (part of grants) | £155k | £738 |
Self-generated (lettings, catering, donations) | £181k | £862 |
Money raised by parents
FRIENDS OF THE GROVE NURSERY (charity 1204117, Registered) raised £815 in its latest year.
| Year ending | Income | Spending |
|---|---|---|
2026-08 | £815 | £114 |
2025-08 | £572 | £222 |
2024-08 | £34k | £33k |
THE FRIENDS OF THE GROVE PRIMARY SCHOOL ASSOCIATION (charity 1001340, Registered) raised £916 in its latest year.
| Year ending | Income | Spending |
|---|---|---|
2025-08 | £916 | £482 |
2024-08 | £1k | £735 |
2023-08 | £1k | £1k |
2022-08 | £2k | £1k |
2021-08 | £1k | £736 |
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.
- What would the school do if costs rose unexpectedly, such as energy or a pay award that isn't fully funded?
- Pupil numbers have fallen 25% since 2018-19. How is the school planning for fewer pupils, and the funding that goes with them?
- Spending on premises is £743 a pupil, against a typical £408 for similar schools. What's behind that?
- Spending on energy is £213 a pupil, against a typical £133 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 The Grove Primary School · All Cambridgeshire school finances