St Mary's Church of England (Aided) Primary School, Chipping Norton: school finances
Large reserves
Holds £180k in reserve, 12% of a year's income.
Latest full year 2025-26, as a council-run school (CFR return, April–March). Oxfordshire · 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 | £1.3m | £1.2m | +£100k | £134k | 247 |
2019-20 | £1.3m | £1.4m | -£112k | £22k | 251 |
2020-21 | £1.4m | £1.3m | +£68k | £90k | 243 |
2021-22 | £1.4m | £1.4m | +£31k | £120k | 205 |
2022-23 | £1.3m | £1.3m | -£45k | £75k | 195 |
2023-24 | £1.3m | £1.2m | +£41k | £116k | 181 |
2024-25 | £1.3m | £1.3m | +£38k | £155k | 181 |
2025-26 | £1.5m | £1.5m | +£26k | £180k | 190 |
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 53% of them. It spends £8,013 a pupil in total; similar schools typically spend £7,120.
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 | £3,824 | £3,386 | £2,991–£3,668 |
Support staff (e.g. TAs) | £1,310 | £1,376 | £1,172–£1,685 |
Supply staff | £180 | £134 | £60–£286 |
Admin and clerical | £167 | £344 | £244–£381 |
Premises | £1,092 | £397 | £341–£477 |
Energy | £137 | £109 | £94–£138 |
Learning resources & ICT | £412 | £267 | £191–£353 |
Bought-in services | £339 | £138 | £98–£256 |
Compare side by side with the 3 most similar schools
Which schools are these?
- Weeth Community Primary School Healthy
- Haltwhistle Primary Academy Large reserves
- Westbury Infant School Healthy
- St Elizabeth's Catholic Primary School Large reserves
- Acle Church of England Primary Academy Healthy
- The Icknield Primary School Tight
- Lumley Junior School Large reserves
- Vallis First School In deficit
- Chesterton Primary School In deficit
- St Annes on Sea St Thomas' Church of England Primary School Healthy
- St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Edlington Large reserves
- Dersingham Primary School Large reserves
Where the money comes from, 2025-26
| Source | Amount | Per pupil |
|---|---|---|
Government grants | £1.4m | £7,228 |
SEN funding (part of grants) | £88k | £466 |
Pupil premium (part of grants) | £96k | £504 |
Self-generated (lettings, catering, donations) | £175k | £919 |
Money raised by parents
THE FRIENDS OF ST MARY'S CHURCH OF ENGLAND PRIMARY SCHOOL CHIPPING NORTON (charity 290330, Registered) raised £3k in its latest year.
| Year ending | Income | Spending |
|---|---|---|
2025-08 | £3k | £6k |
2024-08 | £4k | £3k |
2023-08 | £2k | £3k |
2022-08 | £3k | £7k |
2021-08 | £2k | £2k |
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 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?
- Pupil numbers have fallen 23% since 2018-19. How is the school planning for fewer pupils, and the funding that goes with them?
- Spending on premises is £1,092 a pupil, against a typical £397 for similar schools. What's behind that?
- Spending on bought-in services is £339 a pupil, against a typical £138 for similar schools. What's behind that?
- Spending on learning resources & ict is £412 a pupil, against a typical £267 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 Mary's Church of England (Aided) Primary School, Chipping Norton · All Oxfordshire school finances