Lamberhurst St Mary's CofE (Voluntary Controlled) Primary School: school finances
Heading for deficit
Has spent more than it received for 2 years running; at that rate its £40k reserve runs out in about 1 year.
Latest full year 2025-26, as a council-run school (CFR return, April–March). Kent · 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 | £896k | £880k | +£16k | £57k | 206 |
2019-20 | £930k | £923k | +£7k | £64k | 205 |
2020-21 | £961k | £927k | +£34k | £98k | 199 |
2021-22 | £1.0m | £1.0m | +£16k | £114k | 201 |
2022-23 | £1.1m | £1.1m | +£8k | £122k | 206 |
2023-24 | £1.2m | £1.2m | +£14k | £136k | 209 |
2024-25 | £1.3m | £1.3m | -£61k | £75k | 207 |
2025-26 | £1.3m | £1.4m | -£35k | £40k | 201 |
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 40% of them. It spends £6,864 a pupil in total; similar schools typically spend £6,593.
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 | £3,926 | £3,207 | £3,112–£3,443 |
Support staff (e.g. TAs) | £932 | £1,185 | £971–£1,359 |
Supply staff | £36 | £114 | £38–£164 |
Admin and clerical | £214 | £338 | £245–£442 |
Premises | £278 | £319 | £258–£380 |
Energy | £98 | £90 | £78–£126 |
Learning resources & ICT | £388 | £329 | £258–£400 |
Bought-in services | £230 | £163 | £81–£247 |
Compare side by side with the 3 most similar schools
Which schools are these?
- Goosnargh Oliverson's Church of England Primary School Large reserves
- Fawbert and Barnard Infants' School Large reserves
- St John's Church of England Primary School, Lacey Green Large reserves
- St Michael's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, St Albans Large reserves
- Gotherington Primary School Large reserves
- Powell Corderoy Primary School Healthy
- John Hellins Primary School Healthy
- Warnham CofE Primary School Healthy
- St Andrew's CE Primary School and Nursery Large reserves
- All Saints Church School Large reserves
- Otley All Saints CofE Primary School In deficit
- Stanford Primary School In deficit
Where the money comes from, 2025-26
| Source | Amount | Per pupil |
|---|---|---|
Government grants | £1.2m | £6,061 |
SEN funding (part of grants) | £41k | £205 |
Pupil premium (part of grants) | £29k | £143 |
Self-generated (lettings, catering, donations) | £137k | £680 |
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?
- Spending on teachers is £3,926 a pupil, against a typical £3,207 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 Lamberhurst St Mary's CofE (Voluntary Controlled) Primary School · All Kent school finances