Bucknall Primary School: school finances
Tight
Holds £12k in reserve, under 3% of a year's income: little room for surprises.
Latest full year 2025-26, as a council-run school (CFR return, April–March). Lincolnshire · Primary · Community 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 | £359k | £383k | -£25k | £42k | 43 |
2019-20 | £355k | £370k | -£15k | £27k | 37 |
2020-21 | £387k | £394k | -£7k | £20k | 32 |
2021-22 | £382k | £401k | -£19k | £2k | 34 |
2022-23 | £483k | £403k | +£80k | £82k | 34 |
2023-24 | £458k | £451k | +£7k | £89k | 26 |
2024-25 | £444k | £547k | -£103k | -£14k | 34 |
2025-26 | £511k | £485k | +£27k | £12k | 38 |
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 33% of them. It spends £12,757 a pupil in total; similar schools typically spend £11,830.
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 | £7,756 | £5,385 | £4,130–£6,261 |
Support staff (e.g. TAs) | £1,981 | £2,096 | £1,474–£2,573 |
Supply staff | £382 | £297 | £138–£479 |
Admin and clerical | £372 | £644 | £441–£985 |
Premises | £511 | £588 | £447–£769 |
Energy | £97 | £205 | £141–£284 |
Learning resources & ICT | £335 | £587 | £345–£780 |
Bought-in services | £484 | £415 | £128–£1,017 |
Compare side by side with the 3 most similar schools
Which schools are these?
- Tebay Primary School Large reserves
- Clearwell Church of England Primary School In deficit
- Ashton CofE Primary School Tight
- Horton CofE VA Primary School In deficit
- Halstead Community Primary School Tight
- Croxton Kerrial Church of England Primary School Healthy
- Breage CofE Primary School Heading for deficit
- Burscough Bridge Methodist School Large reserves
- Madron Daniel CofE (VA) School Large reserves
- Unstone St Mary's Nursery & Infant School Healthy
- Nocton Community Primary School Tight
- Musbury Primary School Tight
Where the money comes from, 2025-26
| Source | Amount | Per pupil |
|---|---|---|
Government grants | £498k | £13,114 |
SEN funding (part of grants) | £44k | £1,161 |
Pupil premium (part of grants) | £21k | £557 |
Self-generated (lettings, catering, donations) | £13k | £343 |
Money raised by parents
FRIENDS OF BUCKNALL SCHOOL (charity 1082781, Registered) raised £0 in its latest year.
Matched to this school by name and postcode from the Charity Commission register. Parent associations' money isn't in the school's accounts above.
Questions to ask the school
Useful for parents, governors and PTA committees.
- What would the school do if costs rose unexpectedly, such as energy or a pay award that isn't fully funded?
- Pupil numbers have fallen 12% since 2018-19. How is the school planning for fewer pupils, and the funding that goes with them?
- Spending on teachers is £7,756 a pupil, against a typical £5,385 for similar schools. What's behind that?
- How does the school decide what the money the parents' association raises is spent on?
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 Bucknall Primary School · All Lincolnshire school finances