Walkern Primary School: school finances
Tight
Holds £5k 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). 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 | £887k | £821k | +£66k | £82k | 127 |
2019-20 | £822k | £856k | -£34k | £48k | 131 |
2020-21 | £845k | £820k | +£25k | £73k | 131 |
2021-22 | £880k | £863k | +£17k | £89k | 112 |
2022-23 | £773k | £827k | -£54k | £35k | 114 |
2023-24 | £847k | £873k | -£26k | £9k | 131 |
2024-25 | £970k | £976k | -£7k | £3k | 137 |
2025-26 | £1.1m | £1.0m | +£3k | £5k | 154 |
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 33% of them. It spends £6,812 a pupil in total; similar schools typically spend £7,735.
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 | £3,301 | £3,481 | £3,046–£3,750 |
Support staff (e.g. TAs) | £730 | £1,512 | £1,251–£2,041 |
Supply staff | £406 | £138 | £64–£346 |
Admin and clerical | £441 | £399 | £297–£464 |
Premises | £176 | £388 | £327–£458 |
Energy | £125 | £108 | £86–£136 |
Learning resources & ICT | £365 | £331 | £262–£434 |
Bought-in services | £217 | £203 | £122–£298 |
Compare side by side with the 3 most similar schools
Which schools are these?
- Shortlanesend School Healthy
- Wolsingham Primary School Large reserves
- St Paul's CofE Primary School & Nursery Tight
- St John the Baptist Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School Heading for deficit
- St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Large reserves
- The Beacon Church of England (VA) Primary School In deficit
- Easington CofE Primary School In deficit
- Anston Park Infant School In deficit
- Beechwood Primary School Tight
- Bowling Green Academy In deficit
- St Winefride's Catholic Primary School Large reserves
- Consett Infant School Large reserves
Where the money comes from, 2025-26
| Source | Amount | Per pupil |
|---|---|---|
Government grants | £976k | £6,336 |
SEN funding (part of grants) | £11k | £71 |
Pupil premium (part of grants) | £41k | £267 |
Self-generated (lettings, catering, donations) | £76k | £494 |
Money raised by parents
WALKERN JMI PARENT TEACHER ASSOCIATION (charity 1052395, Registered) raised £13k in its latest year.
| Year ending | Income | Spending |
|---|---|---|
2025-10 | £13k | £13k |
2024-10 | £9k | £13k |
2023-10 | £5k | £7k |
2022-10 | £5k | £4k |
2021-10 | £5k | £9k |
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?
- Spending on supply staff is £406 a pupil, against a typical £138 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 Walkern Primary School · All Hertfordshire school finances