Our Lady of Perpetual Succour Roman Catholic Primary School Blackburn: school finances
Heading for deficit
Has spent more than it received for 5 years running; at that rate its £96k reserve runs out in about 2 years.
Latest full year 2025-26, as a council-run school (CFR return, April–March). Blackburn with Darwen · 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 | £1.1m | £1.1m | +£10k | £111k | 181 |
2019-20 | £1.1m | £1.1m | +£14k | £125k | 192 |
2020-21 | £1.2m | £1.0m | +£214k | £340k | 176 |
2021-22 | £1.2m | £1.2m | -£30k | £309k | 172 |
2022-23 | £1.2m | £1.2m | -£28k | £281k | 171 |
2023-24 | £1.3m | £1.4m | -£147k | £134k | 170 |
2024-25 | £1.3m | £1.3m | -£23k | £111k | 177 |
2025-26 | £1.4m | £1.4m | -£15k | £96k | 180 |
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 60% of them. It spends £8,037 a pupil in total; similar schools typically spend £8,127.
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 | £3,723 | £3,643 | £3,295–£4,008 |
Support staff (e.g. TAs) | £1,316 | £1,578 | £1,336–£1,897 |
Supply staff | £825 | £142 | £54–£310 |
Admin and clerical | £525 | £404 | £329–£499 |
Premises | £337 | £442 | £365–£536 |
Energy | £89 | £124 | £96–£152 |
Learning resources & ICT | £96 | £330 | £225–£421 |
Bought-in services | £560 | £252 | £101–£463 |
Compare side by side with the 3 most similar schools
Which schools are these?
- Shadsworth Infant School Large reserves
- St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Gateshead Large reserves
- Brookside Primary School Large reserves
- The Martin Wilson School In deficit
- Pool House Community Primary School Large reserves
- St Michael's Church of England Academy Tight
- Roach Vale Primary School Large reserves
- North Somercotes CofE Primary School Healthy
- St. Augustine's Academy Healthy
- St Philip's Church of England Primary School Heading for deficit
- Broomhill Junior School Large reserves
- Marlfields Primary School Large reserves
Where the money comes from, 2025-26
| Source | Amount | Per pupil |
|---|---|---|
Government grants | £1.4m | £7,773 |
SEN funding (part of grants) | £107k | £595 |
Pupil premium (part of grants) | £116k | £646 |
Self-generated (lettings, catering, donations) | £32k | £180 |
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 supply staff is £825 a pupil, against a typical £142 for similar schools. What's behind that?
- Spending on bought-in services is £560 a pupil, against a typical £252 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 Our Lady of Perpetual Succour Roman Catholic Primary School Blackburn · All Blackburn with Darwen school finances