St James' Catholic Primary School, Skelmersdale: school finances
Healthy
Holds £81k in reserve, 5% of a year's income.
Latest full year 2025-26, as a council-run school (CFR return, April–March). Lancashire · 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 | £827k | £795k | +£32k | £86k | 156 |
2019-20 | £811k | £816k | -£5k | £81k | 158 |
2020-21 | £866k | £821k | +£45k | £126k | 180 |
2021-22 | £956k | £996k | -£40k | £85k | 200 |
2022-23 | £1.1m | £1.1m | -£86k | -£524 | 220 |
2023-24 | £1.3m | £1.2m | +£82k | £82k | 220 |
2024-25 | £1.4m | £1.4m | +£22k | £103k | 235 |
2025-26 | £1.6m | £1.6m | -£22k | £81k | 229 |
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 50% of them. It spends £6,907 a pupil in total; similar schools typically spend £6,678.
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 | £2,959 | £3,215 | £2,985–£3,662 |
Support staff (e.g. TAs) | £1,909 | £1,322 | £919–£1,709 |
Supply staff | £103 | £192 | £78–£274 |
Admin and clerical | £306 | £365 | £244–£437 |
Premises | £296 | £328 | £286–£427 |
Energy | £49 | £109 | £87–£143 |
Learning resources & ICT | £310 | £281 | £194–£360 |
Bought-in services | £196 | £154 | £62–£278 |
Compare side by side with the 3 most similar schools
Which schools are these?
- Fenstanton and Hilton Primary School Healthy
- Milford Infants' School Large reserves
- Mundesley Infant School Large reserves
- Mousehold Infant & Nursery School In deficit
- Godley Community Primary Academy In deficit
- Bracken Lane Primary Academy Tight
- St Bede's Catholic Primary School, South Shields In deficit
- Exning Primary School Large reserves
- St Gilbert's RC Primary School Healthy
- Laceby Stanford Primary Academy Tight
- St Stephen's CofE Primary School Tight
- Our Lady of Perpetual Succour Catholic Primary School Healthy
Where the money comes from, 2025-26
| Source | Amount | Per pupil |
|---|---|---|
Government grants | £1.5m | £6,492 |
SEN funding (part of grants) | £79k | £345 |
Pupil premium (part of grants) | £52k | £229 |
Self-generated (lettings, catering, donations) | £72k | £316 |
Questions to ask the school
Useful for parents, governors and PTA committees.
- Spending on support staff (e.g. tas) is £1,909 a pupil, against a typical £1,322 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 St James' Catholic Primary School, Skelmersdale · All Lancashire school finances