Decoy Primary School: school finances
Tight
Holds £16k 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). Devon · 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 | £1.8m | +£31k | £98k | 432 |
2019-20 | £1.9m | £1.9m | +£136 | £98k | 422 |
2020-21 | £2.0m | £2.0m | -£14k | £84k | 419 |
2021-22 | £2.2m | £2.2m | +£38k | £122k | 416 |
2022-23 | £2.3m | £2.3m | -£10k | £112k | 408 |
2023-24 | £2.4m | £2.5m | -£94k | £18k | 408 |
2024-25 | £2.6m | £2.6m | +£33k | £51k | 412 |
2025-26 | £2.9m | £2.9m | -£35k | £16k | 426 |
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 20% of them. It spends £6,831 a pupil in total; similar schools typically spend £6,459.
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 | £3,014 | £3,111 | £2,939–£3,413 |
Support staff (e.g. TAs) | £1,950 | £1,358 | £1,168–£1,558 |
Supply staff | £157 | £131 | £38–£186 |
Admin and clerical | £277 | £269 | £210–£360 |
Premises | £271 | £305 | £248–£389 |
Energy | £62 | £75 | £63–£93 |
Learning resources & ICT | £234 | £235 | £176–£283 |
Bought-in services | £122 | £130 | £62–£196 |
Compare side by side with the 3 most similar schools
Which schools are these?
- St Patrick's Catholic Primary School In deficit
- Bassetts Farm Primary School Large reserves
- Burnham-on-Crouch Primary School Large reserves
- Treloweth Community Primary School Healthy
- Harmans Water Primary School In deficit
- Cecil Road Primary and Nursery School Heading for deficit
- Sticklepath Community Primary Academy Healthy
- Berewood Primary School Healthy
- Tower Hill Primary School Large reserves
- Charnwood Primary School In deficit
- Apley Wood Primary Academy Healthy
- Sydenham Primary School In deficit
Where the money comes from, 2025-26
| Source | Amount | Per pupil |
|---|---|---|
Government grants | £2.8m | £6,572 |
SEN funding (part of grants) | £220k | £515 |
Pupil premium (part of grants) | £119k | £279 |
Self-generated (lettings, catering, donations) | £76k | £177 |
Money raised by parents
DECOY COMMUNITY PRIMARY SCHOOL PARENT TEACHER ASSOCIATION (charity 1047398, Registered) raised £32k in its latest year.
| Year ending | Income | Spending |
|---|---|---|
2025-07 | £32k | £36k |
2024-07 | £15k | £4k |
2023-07 | £9k | £9k |
2022-07 | £17k | £8k |
2021-07 | £7k | £15k |
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?
- Spending on support staff (e.g. tas) is £1,950 a pupil, against a typical £1,358 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 Decoy Primary School · All Devon school finances