Ely St John's Community Primary School: school finances
Tight
Holds £69k 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 | £1.9m | £2.0m | -£4k | £31k | 461 |
2019-20 | £2.0m | £2.0m | +£33k | £63k | 436 |
2020-21 | £2.1m | £2.0m | +£45k | £108k | 399 |
2021-22 | £2.0m | £2.1m | -£41k | £68k | 370 |
2022-23 | £2.1m | £2.1m | -£45k | £23k | 374 |
2023-24 | £2.2m | £2.2m | -£4k | £19k | 364 |
2024-25 | £2.3m | £2.3m | +£28k | £47k | 365 |
2025-26 | £2.4m | £2.3m | +£22k | £69k | 371 |
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 £6,315 a pupil in total; similar schools typically spend £6,368.
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 | £3,249 | £3,136 | £2,900–£3,481 |
Support staff (e.g. TAs) | £1,303 | £1,169 | £966–£1,599 |
Supply staff | £18 | £102 | £68–£205 |
Admin and clerical | £224 | £311 | £221–£360 |
Premises | £298 | £330 | £251–£388 |
Energy | £83 | £94 | £75–£109 |
Learning resources & ICT | £236 | £305 | £215–£351 |
Bought-in services | £133 | £129 | £73–£215 |
Compare side by side with the 3 most similar schools
Which schools are these?
- St Michael's Church of England Primary School Large reserves
- Lickey Hills Primary School and Nursery In deficit
- Histon and Impington Brook Primary School Large reserves
- St Anne's Church Academy Large reserves
- Hillside Avenue Primary and Nursery School, Thorpe In deficit
- Riverside School, Tadcaster Large reserves
- St Winifred's RC Primary School, a Voluntary Academy Heading for deficit
- Alban City School Heading for deficit
- St Christophers Academy Healthy
- Stanwix School Healthy
- Cookridge Holy Trinity Church of England Primary School Healthy
- Oreston Community Academy Large reserves
Where the money comes from, 2025-26
| Source | Amount | Per pupil |
|---|---|---|
Government grants | £2.2m | £5,949 |
SEN funding (part of grants) | £115k | £310 |
Pupil premium (part of grants) | £74k | £200 |
Self-generated (lettings, catering, donations) | £166k | £447 |
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 20% since 2018-19. How is the school planning for fewer pupils, and the funding that goes with them?
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 Ely St John's Community Primary School · All Cambridgeshire school finances