Lipson Vale Primary School: school finances
Healthy
Holds £186k in reserve, 7% of a year's income.
Latest full year 2025-26, as a council-run school (CFR return, April–March). Plymouth · 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 | £1.9m | -£12k | £48k | 398 |
2019-20 | £1.9m | £2.0m | -£50k | -£3k | 396 |
2020-21 | £2.0m | £2.0m | +£53k | £50k | 406 |
2021-22 | £2.1m | £2.1m | +£28k | £79k | 412 |
2022-23 | £2.4m | £2.3m | +£36k | £115k | 404 |
2023-24 | £2.5m | £2.4m | +£38k | £153k | 405 |
2024-25 | £2.5m | £2.5m | +£22k | £174k | 400 |
2025-26 | £2.7m | £2.7m | +£12k | £186k | 393 |
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 40% of them. It spends £6,797 a pupil in total; similar schools typically spend £6,506.
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 | £3,172 | £3,137 | £2,914–£3,280 |
Support staff (e.g. TAs) | £1,371 | £1,385 | £1,229–£1,545 |
Supply staff | £201 | £104 | £46–£193 |
Admin and clerical | £247 | £295 | £219–£363 |
Premises | £426 | £311 | £287–£366 |
Energy | £76 | £94 | £78–£111 |
Learning resources & ICT | £412 | £263 | £205–£321 |
Bought-in services | £148 | £161 | £46–£226 |
Compare side by side with the 3 most similar schools
Which schools are these?
- Harrietsham Church of England Primary School Tight
- Heene CofE Primary School In deficit
- St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Poole Healthy
- Oak View Primary and Nursery School Large reserves
- Abbotswood Primary School Healthy
- Brinkley Grove Primary School Large reserves
- Whitley Abbey Primary School Tight
- Ss Aidan and Oswald's RC Primary School, a Voluntary Academy Large reserves
- Furzefield Primary Academy Heading for deficit
- St Andrew's Primary School Large reserves
- St Stephen's Church of England Primary School Healthy
- Hall Green Infant School Large reserves
Where the money comes from, 2025-26
| Source | Amount | Per pupil |
|---|---|---|
Government grants | £2.7m | £6,780 |
SEN funding (part of grants) | £186k | £473 |
Pupil premium (part of grants) | £179k | £456 |
Self-generated (lettings, catering, donations) | £30k | £77 |
Money raised by parents
LIPSON VALE PARENTS TEACHERS AND FRIENDS ASSOCIATION (charity 1073953, Registered) raised £3k in its latest year.
| Year ending | Income | Spending |
|---|---|---|
2025-08 | £3k | £1k |
2024-08 | £3k | £248 |
2023-08 | £3k | £1k |
2022-08 | £2k | £3k |
2021-08 | £2k | £790 |
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.
- Spending on learning resources & ict is £412 a pupil, against a typical £263 for similar schools. What's behind that?
- Spending on premises is £426 a pupil, against a typical £311 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 Lipson Vale Primary School · All Plymouth school finances