Sheering Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School: school finances
Tight
Holds £12k 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). Essex · Primary · Voluntary controlled 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 | £621k | £615k | +£6k | £74k | 103 |
2019-20 | £617k | £647k | -£30k | £44k | 105 |
2020-21 | £621k | £617k | +£4k | £48k | 100 |
2021-22 | £641k | £681k | -£40k | £8k | 103 |
2022-23 | £683k | £698k | -£16k | -£8k | 105 |
2023-24 | £724k | £726k | -£2k | -£10k | 107 |
2024-25 | £772k | £730k | +£42k | £32k | 86 |
2025-26 | £731k | £751k | -£20k | £12k | 62 |
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 37% of them. It spends £12,117 a pupil in total; similar schools typically spend £10,054.
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 | £4,927 | £4,830 | £4,291–£5,341 |
Support staff (e.g. TAs) | £1,648 | £1,692 | £1,296–£2,211 |
Supply staff | £410 | £168 | £90–£306 |
Admin and clerical | £938 | £575 | £391–£689 |
Premises | £852 | £510 | £419–£647 |
Energy | £257 | £148 | £123–£198 |
Learning resources & ICT | £236 | £445 | £291–£748 |
Bought-in services | £1,454 | £340 | £209–£567 |
Compare side by side with the 3 most similar schools
Which schools are these?
- Sculthorpe Church of England Primary Academy Tight
- Stoke St Gregory Church of England Primary School Healthy
- Weeton St Michael's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School Heading for deficit
- Highwood Primary School Large reserves
- Clapham and Patching CofE Primary School Healthy
- Stogursey Church of England Primary School Large reserves
- St Gregory's Church of England Primary School, Marnhull Heading for deficit
- St Buryan Primary School In deficit
- Fordcombe Church of England Primary School Large reserves
- St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Blackhall In deficit
- Stretton Handley Church of England Primary School Tight
- Paull Primary School In deficit
Where the money comes from, 2025-26
| Source | Amount | Per pupil |
|---|---|---|
Government grants | £676k | £10,906 |
SEN funding (part of grants) | £23k | £371 |
Pupil premium (part of grants) | £33k | £538 |
Self-generated (lettings, catering, donations) | £55k | £884 |
Money raised by parents
SHEERING C OF E PRIMARY SCHOOL PARENTS TEACHERS AND FRIENDS ASSOCIATION (charity 1020303, Registered) raised £8k in its latest year.
| Year ending | Income | Spending |
|---|---|---|
2024-12 | £8k | £9k |
2023-12 | £6k | £8k |
2022-12 | £10k | £7k |
2021-12 | £2k | £4k |
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?
- Pupil numbers have fallen 40% since 2018-19. How is the school planning for fewer pupils, and the funding that goes with them?
- Spending on bought-in services is £1,454 a pupil, against a typical £340 for similar schools. What's behind that?
- Spending on supply staff is £410 a pupil, against a typical £168 for similar schools. What's behind that?
- Spending on energy is £257 a pupil, against a typical £148 for similar schools. What's behind that?
- Spending on premises is £852 a pupil, against a typical £510 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.
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