St Mary's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School: school finances
Healthy
Holds £111k in reserve, 8% of a year's income.
Latest full year 2025-26, as a council-run school (CFR return, April–March). Essex · Primary · 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 | £922k | £922k | -£135 | £158k | 200 |
2019-20 | £958k | £947k | +£11k | £169k | 211 |
2020-21 | £1.0m | £1.0m | +£35k | £204k | 215 |
2021-22 | £1.1m | £1.2m | -£80k | £124k | 210 |
2022-23 | £1.2m | £1.2m | -£47k | £77k | 215 |
2023-24 | £1.2m | £1.3m | -£58k | £19k | 218 |
2024-25 | £1.3m | £1.3m | +£45k | £64k | 222 |
2025-26 | £1.4m | £1.4m | +£47k | £111k | 224 |
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 57% of them. It spends £6,233 a pupil in total; similar schools typically spend £6,624.
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 | £2,795 | £3,219 | £2,835–£3,456 |
Support staff (e.g. TAs) | £1,451 | £1,211 | £1,073–£1,409 |
Supply staff | £1 | £112 | £65–£245 |
Admin and clerical | £504 | £334 | £269–£384 |
Premises | £228 | £400 | £318–£432 |
Energy | £149 | £97 | £75–£119 |
Learning resources & ICT | £299 | £295 | £222–£374 |
Bought-in services | £114 | £171 | £87–£224 |
Compare side by side with the 3 most similar schools
Which schools are these?
- St Cuthbert and the First Martyrs' Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary Academy Large reserves
- St Bede's Catholic Infant School Large reserves
- Whitstable and Seasalter Endowed Church of England Junior School Tight
- St Gregory's Catholic Primary School Large reserves
- St Lawrence Church of England Primary School, Rowhedge Large reserves
- Doddinghurst Church of England Junior School In deficit
- Roseberry Academy Tight
- Quinton Primary School Healthy
- St Charles' RC Primary School Tight
- Whytemead Primary School Large reserves
- Brindley Heath Junior School Academy Large reserves
- Winkleigh Primary School Healthy
Where the money comes from, 2025-26
| Source | Amount | Per pupil |
|---|---|---|
Government grants | £1.4m | £6,201 |
SEN funding (part of grants) | £88k | £392 |
Pupil premium (part of grants) | £75k | £335 |
Self-generated (lettings, catering, donations) | £54k | £242 |
Money raised by parents
The Friends of St Mary's School – Parent Teacher Association (charity 1046048, Registered) raised £7k in its latest year.
| Year ending | Income | Spending |
|---|---|---|
2025-08 | £7k | £5k |
2024-08 | £6k | £8k |
2023-08 | £6k | £4k |
2022-08 | £8k | £12k |
2021-08 | £5k | £5k |
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 energy is £149 a pupil, against a typical £97 for similar schools. What's behind that?
- Spending on admin and clerical is £504 a pupil, against a typical £334 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 Mary's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School · All Essex school finances