St Paul's Walden Primary School: school finances
Heading for deficit
Has spent more than it received for 5 years running; at that rate its £3k reserve runs out in about 0 year.
Latest full year 2025-26, as a council-run school (CFR return, April–March). Hertfordshire · 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 | £529k | £599k | -£69k | £85k | 104 |
2019-20 | £616k | £581k | +£36k | £121k | 96 |
2020-21 | £589k | £538k | +£51k | £172k | 84 |
2021-22 | £548k | £555k | -£7k | £165k | 79 |
2022-23 | £556k | £586k | -£29k | £135k | 76 |
2023-24 | £591k | £608k | -£17k | £118k | 70 |
2024-25 | £620k | £673k | -£54k | £64k | 66 |
2025-26 | £607k | £669k | -£62k | £3k | 74 |
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 27% of them. It spends £9,035 a pupil in total; similar schools typically spend £9,328.
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 | £4,695 | £4,409 | £3,628–£5,087 |
Support staff (e.g. TAs) | £1,022 | £1,717 | £1,295–£2,082 |
Supply staff | £162 | £149 | £55–£343 |
Admin and clerical | £425 | £464 | £393–£572 |
Premises | £666 | £482 | £385–£772 |
Energy | £166 | £155 | £127–£216 |
Learning resources & ICT | £355 | £448 | £301–£640 |
Bought-in services | £463 | £169 | £101–£418 |
Compare side by side with the 3 most similar schools
Which schools are these?
- St Michael's Church of England Primary School Heading for deficit
- Leintwardine Endowed CE Primary School Large reserves
- St Luke's Catholic Primary School In deficit
- Roxton Church of England Academy Healthy
- Furness Vale Primary and Nursery School Large reserves
- Essendon CofE (VC) Primary School In deficit
- Thornhill Primary School Large reserves
- Aylburton Church of England Primary School Large reserves
- Germoe Community Primary School Large reserves
- Foxhole Learning Academy Healthy
- St Edmund's Primary School In deficit
- Tintagel Primary School Healthy
Where the money comes from, 2025-26
| Source | Amount | Per pupil |
|---|---|---|
Government grants | £573k | £7,750 |
SEN funding (part of grants) | £20k | £273 |
Pupil premium (part of grants) | £14k | £184 |
Self-generated (lettings, catering, donations) | £33k | £453 |
Money raised by parents
ST PAUL'S WALDEN SCHOOL PTA (charity 1094844, Registered) raised £1k in its latest year.
| Year ending | Income | Spending |
|---|---|---|
2025-09 | £1k | £4k |
2024-09 | £3k | £870 |
2023-09 | £9k | £10k |
2022-09 | £2k | £2k |
2021-09 | £168 | £3k |
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 is the plan to stop spending more than the school receives each year?
- Pupil numbers have fallen 29% since 2018-19. How is the school planning for fewer pupils, and the funding that goes with them?
- Spending on bought-in services is £463 a pupil, against a typical £169 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 Paul's Walden Primary School · All Hertfordshire school finances