St Nicholas Catholic High School: school finances
Heading for deficit
Has spent more than it received for 4 years running; at that rate its £198k reserve runs out in about 1 year.
Latest full year 2025-26, as a council-run school (CFR return, April–March). Cheshire West and Chester · Secondary · 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 | £7.1m | £7.2m | -£141k | £43k | 1,246 |
2019-20 | £7.4m | £7.4m | -£31k | £12k | 1,245 |
2020-21 | £7.4m | £7.0m | +£471k | £482k | 1,258 |
2021-22 | £7.9m | £7.7m | +£205k | £688k | 1,256 |
2022-23 | £8.5m | £8.5m | -£17k | £671k | 1,208 |
2023-24 | £8.8m | £8.9m | -£95k | £576k | 1,204 |
2024-25 | £9.2m | £9.5m | -£329k | £247k | 1,220 |
2025-26 | £10.3m | £10.4m | -£48k | £198k | 1,202 |
Compared with similar schools
Similar schools are the 30 secondary 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 20% of them. It spends £8,638 a pupil in total; similar schools typically spend £7,310.
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 | £4,470 | £4,344 | £4,099–£4,556 |
Support staff (e.g. TAs) | £1,007 | £634 | £374–£855 |
Supply staff | £381 | £54 | £19–£145 |
Admin and clerical | £493 | £444 | £357–£527 |
Premises | £327 | £404 | £356–£461 |
Energy | £152 | £130 | £109–£166 |
Learning resources & ICT | £634 | £522 | £352–£698 |
Bought-in services | £100 | £60 | £19–£102 |
Compare side by side with the 3 most similar schools
Which schools are these?
- St Thomas More High School Heading for deficit
- Hethersett Academy Large reserves
- The Castle School Large reserves
- Harlington Upper School In deficit
- William de Ferrers School Large reserves
- Kingsbridge Academy Large reserves
- The Cooper School In deficit
- Midhurst Rother College Large reserves
- The Folkestone School for Girls Large reserves
- Cams Hill School In deficit
- The Blue Coat School Large reserves
- Haybridge High School and Sixth Form Large reserves
Where the money comes from, 2025-26
| Source | Amount | Per pupil |
|---|---|---|
Government grants | £9.3m | £7,712 |
SEN funding (part of grants) | £622k | £517 |
Pupil premium (part of grants) | £173k | £144 |
Self-generated (lettings, catering, donations) | £1.1m | £886 |
Money raised by parents
ST NICHOLAS CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL PTFA (charity 1162567, Registered) raised £4k in its latest year.
| Year ending | Income | Spending |
|---|---|---|
2025-08 | £4k | £8k |
2024-08 | £5k | £3k |
2023-08 | £4k | £3k |
2022-08 | £2k | £539 |
2021-08 | £3k | £3k |
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 is the plan to stop spending more than the school receives each year?
- Spending on supply staff is £381 a pupil, against a typical £54 for similar schools. What's behind that?
- Spending on support staff (e.g. tas) is £1,007 a pupil, against a typical £634 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 St Nicholas Catholic High School · All Cheshire West and Chester school finances