St John's Catholic Primary School, Trowbridge: school finances
Tight
Holds £50k 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). Wiltshire · 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 | £1.3m | +£26k | £101k | 324 |
2019-20 | £1.4m | £1.4m | +£27k | £128k | 319 |
2020-21 | £1.4m | £1.4m | +£3k | £131k | 316 |
2021-22 | £1.5m | £1.5m | +£25k | £156k | 307 |
2022-23 | £1.6m | £1.6m | -£59k | £98k | 308 |
2023-24 | £1.7m | £1.7m | -£31k | £66k | 299 |
2024-25 | £1.8m | £1.8m | +£12k | £79k | 297 |
2025-26 | £1.8m | £1.9m | -£29k | £50k | 300 |
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 30% of them. It spends £6,177 a pupil in total; similar schools typically spend £6,281.
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 | £2,930 | £3,008 | £2,735–£3,146 |
Support staff (e.g. TAs) | £962 | £1,255 | £1,140–£1,570 |
Supply staff | £204 | £102 | £55–£166 |
Admin and clerical | £404 | £291 | £216–£372 |
Premises | £288 | £287 | £243–£392 |
Energy | £57 | £92 | £72–£110 |
Learning resources & ICT | £385 | £224 | £154–£322 |
Bought-in services | £166 | £108 | £54–£235 |
Compare side by side with the 3 most similar schools
Which schools are these?
- Our Lady Queen of Peace Catholic Primary School, Penshaw In deficit
- Barrs Court Primary School Heading for deficit
- Barnham Primary School Large reserves
- Hunloke Park Primary School In deficit
- St Mary Magdalen's Catholic Primary School Tight
- St Anne's Church of England Primary School In deficit
- Towngate Primary Academy Large reserves
- The Oaks Infant School In deficit
- Barnes Infant Academy Large reserves
- St Stephen's Primary School Large reserves
- Holly Grove Primary Academy Healthy
- Field Court Church of England Infant Academy Large reserves
Where the money comes from, 2025-26
| Source | Amount | Per pupil |
|---|---|---|
Government grants | £1.8m | £5,848 |
SEN funding (part of grants) | £69k | £231 |
Pupil premium (part of grants) | £74k | £246 |
Self-generated (lettings, catering, donations) | £90k | £299 |
Money raised by parents
FRIENDS OF ST JOHN'S CATHOLIC PRIMARY SCHOOL, TROWBRIDGE (charity 291160, Registered) raised £14k in its latest year.
| Year ending | Income | Spending |
|---|---|---|
2025-08 | £14k | £6k |
2024-08 | £9k | £12k |
2023-08 | £7k | £10k |
2022-08 | £13k | £89 |
2021-08 | £5k | £7k |
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?
- Spending on supply staff is £204 a pupil, against a typical £102 for similar schools. What's behind that?
- Spending on learning resources & ict is £385 a pupil, against a typical £224 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 St John's Catholic Primary School, Trowbridge · All Wiltshire school finances