Ash Cartwright and Kelsey Church of England Primary School: school finances
Heading for deficit
Has spent more than it received for 3 years running; at that rate its £27k reserve runs out in about 1 year.
Latest full year 2025-26, as a council-run school (CFR return, April–March). Kent · 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 | £935k | £859k | +£76k | £37k | 165 |
2019-20 | £882k | £869k | +£12k | £49k | 156 |
2020-21 | £842k | £827k | +£15k | £64k | 142 |
2021-22 | £842k | £870k | -£28k | £36k | 137 |
2022-23 | £982k | £935k | +£46k | £82k | 150 |
2023-24 | £1.1m | £1.1m | -£11k | £71k | 159 |
2024-25 | £1.2m | £1.2m | -£16k | £54k | 168 |
2025-26 | £1.2m | £1.3m | -£27k | £27k | 178 |
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 £7,147 a pupil in total; similar schools typically spend £7,491.
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 | £3,952 | £3,421 | £3,192–£3,583 |
Support staff (e.g. TAs) | £1,408 | £1,301 | £1,097–£1,736 |
Supply staff | £2 | £173 | £71–£296 |
Admin and clerical | £339 | £359 | £317–£426 |
Premises | £219 | £414 | £319–£490 |
Energy | £150 | £122 | £102–£148 |
Learning resources & ICT | £192 | £334 | £222–£430 |
Bought-in services | £158 | £198 | £135–£312 |
Compare side by side with the 3 most similar schools
Which schools are these?
- John T Rice Infant and Nursery School Large reserves
- Knights Templar Community Church School & Nursery Large reserves
- Westwood Primary School Tight
- Holy Trinity CofE (C) Primary School Large reserves
- Pinewood Infant and Nursery School Large reserves
- Overstone Combined School In deficit
- Low Road Primary School In deficit
- St John's Catholic Infant School Large reserves
- Foulridge Saint Michael and All Angels CofE Voluntary Aided Primary School Large reserves
- St Cuthbert's Church of England Junior School Healthy
- Airy Hill Primary School Healthy
- Cherry Hinton Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School In deficit
Where the money comes from, 2025-26
| Source | Amount | Per pupil |
|---|---|---|
Government grants | £1.2m | £6,646 |
SEN funding (part of grants) | £66k | £372 |
Pupil premium (part of grants) | £74k | £418 |
Self-generated (lettings, catering, donations) | £63k | £355 |
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 £3,952 a pupil, against a typical £3,421 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 Ash Cartwright and Kelsey Church of England Primary School · All Kent school finances