St Bede's Roman Catholic High School, Blackburn: school finances
Large reserves
Holds £454k in reserve, 5% of a year's income. It has been drawing on it for 3 years.
Latest full year 2025-26, as a council-run school (CFR return, April–March). Blackburn with Darwen · Secondary · 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 | £6.5m | £6.5m | +£39k | £418k | 1,031 |
2019-20 | £6.8m | £6.7m | +£141k | £559k | 1,058 |
2020-21 | £7.2m | £7.1m | +£101k | £660k | 1,069 |
2021-22 | £7.3m | £7.1m | +£127k | £787k | 1,066 |
2022-23 | £7.7m | £7.6m | +£70k | £857k | 1,057 |
2023-24 | £8.0m | £8.1m | -£67k | £790k | 1,062 |
2024-25 | £8.4m | £8.6m | -£222k | £568k | 1,043 |
2025-26 | £8.5m | £8.6m | -£113k | £454k | 1,053 |
Compared with similar schools
Similar schools are the 30 secondary 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 47% of them. It spends £8,213 a pupil in total; similar schools typically spend £7,548.
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 | £4,646 | £4,368 | £4,094–£4,606 |
Support staff (e.g. TAs) | £1,200 | £833 | £595–£980 |
Supply staff | £168 | £117 | £40–£231 |
Admin and clerical | £475 | £408 | £344–£475 |
Premises | £442 | £399 | £322–£482 |
Energy | £135 | £133 | £116–£159 |
Learning resources & ICT | £326 | £494 | £404–£630 |
Bought-in services | £247 | £92 | £43–£193 |
Compare side by side with the 3 most similar schools
Which schools are these?
- Codsall Community High School Healthy
- Greenbank High School Healthy
- St Joseph's RC High School Large reserves
- Therfield School Large reserves
- St Mark's West Essex Catholic School Large reserves
- Laurus Cheadle Hulme Healthy
- Sale High School Large reserves
- Eaton Bank Academy Large reserves
- St Thomas More Catholic Academy and Sixth Form College Large reserves
- Sawtry Village Academy Healthy
- St James's Church of England High School Large reserves
- Teign School Tight
Where the money comes from, 2025-26
| Source | Amount | Per pupil |
|---|---|---|
Government grants | £8.1m | £7,668 |
SEN funding (part of grants) | £369k | £350 |
Pupil premium (part of grants) | £296k | £281 |
Self-generated (lettings, catering, donations) | £497k | £472 |
Questions to ask the school
Useful for parents, governors and PTA committees.
- What are the reserves set aside for, and when will they be spent on current pupils?
- Could any of the surplus be clawed back under the council's scheme for financing schools?
- Spending on bought-in services is £247 a pupil, against a typical £92 for similar schools. What's behind that?
- Spending on support staff (e.g. tas) is £1,200 a pupil, against a typical £833 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 Bede's Roman Catholic High School, Blackburn · All Blackburn with Darwen school finances