Sugar Hill Primary School: school finances
Large reserves
Holds £260k in reserve, 9% of a year's income. It has been drawing on it for 2 years.
Latest full year 2025-26, as a council-run school (CFR return, April–March). County Durham · 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 | £2.0m | £2.0m | +£13k | £144k | 444 |
2019-20 | £2.1m | £2.1m | -£6k | £138k | 448 |
2020-21 | £2.2m | £2.1m | +£146k | £283k | 445 |
2021-22 | £2.4m | £2.3m | +£75k | £359k | 448 |
2022-23 | £2.5m | £2.4m | +£63k | £422k | 448 |
2023-24 | £2.7m | £2.6m | +£10k | £432k | 448 |
2024-25 | £2.7m | £2.9m | -£159k | £273k | 445 |
2025-26 | £2.9m | £2.9m | -£13k | £260k | 438 |
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 60% of them. It spends £6,593 a pupil in total; similar schools typically spend £6,839.
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 | £3,302 | £3,111 | £2,905–£3,343 |
Support staff (e.g. TAs) | £1,475 | £1,512 | £1,252–£1,732 |
Supply staff | £50 | £122 | £57–£259 |
Admin and clerical | £193 | £306 | £248–£348 |
Premises | £247 | £362 | £289–£443 |
Energy | £154 | £98 | £75–£114 |
Learning resources & ICT | £187 | £262 | £199–£314 |
Bought-in services | £290 | £117 | £64–£196 |
Compare side by side with the 3 most similar schools
Which schools are these?
- Huntingdon Primary School Large reserves
- The Ferns Primary Academy Large reserves
- Joseph Locke Primary School Heading for deficit
- Upton Primary School Tight
- St John's Church School Healthy
- Meadhurst Primary School Healthy
- Home Farm Primary School Healthy
- Skelton Primary School Large reserves
- Beeston Hill St Luke's Church of England Primary School In deficit
- St Anne's Catholic Primary School Large reserves
- Waterloo Primary School Large reserves
- Gleadless Primary School Tight
Where the money comes from, 2025-26
| Source | Amount | Per pupil |
|---|---|---|
Government grants | £2.8m | £6,397 |
SEN funding (part of grants) | £85k | £195 |
Pupil premium (part of grants) | £219k | £501 |
Self-generated (lettings, catering, donations) | £73k | £166 |
Questions to ask the school
Useful for parents, governors and PTA committees.
- What are the reserves set aside for, and when will they be spent on current pupils?
- Could any of the surplus be clawed back under the council's scheme for financing schools?
- Spending on bought-in services is £290 a pupil, against a typical £117 for similar schools. What's behind that?
- Spending on energy is £154 a pupil, against a typical £98 for similar schools. What's behind that?
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 Sugar Hill Primary School · All County Durham school finances