St Mary's Church of England Middle School, Puddletown: school finances
Large reserves
Holds £506k in reserve, 16% of a year's income.
Latest full year 2024-25, as a academy (accounts return, September–August). Dorset · Middle deemed secondary · Academy converter.
Academies in a trust don't hold money on their own: WESSEX MULTI ACADEMY TRUST can move money between its schools. The reserve includes this school's per-pupil share of the trust's central reserve.
Reserve at the end of each year, 2018-19 to 2024-25
Income and spending, 2018-19 to 2024-25
Income Spending
Show the figures as a table
| Year | Income | Spending | Balance | Reserve | Pupils |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2018-19 | £2.4m | £2.2m | +£141k | £128k | 481 |
2019-20 | £2.4m | £2.3m | +£165k | £172k | 474 |
2020-21 | £2.7m | £2.5m | +£210k | £237k | 494 |
2021-22 | £2.8m | £2.7m | +£163k | £294k | 487 |
2022-23 | £3.0m | £2.9m | +£112k | £282k | 479 |
2023-24 | £3.1m | £2.9m | +£184k | £306k | 460 |
2024-25 | £3.2m | £3.0m | +£258k | £506k | 445 |
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 87% of them. It spends £6,672 a pupil in total; similar schools typically spend £8,030.
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 | £3,789 | £4,391 | £3,901–£4,791 |
Support staff (e.g. TAs) | £930 | £888 | £575–£1,023 |
Supply staff | £94 | £99 | £47–£158 |
Admin and clerical | £587 | £472 | £359–£673 |
Premises | £335 | £441 | £360–£588 |
Energy | £108 | £154 | £122–£204 |
Learning resources & ICT | £344 | £541 | £367–£668 |
Bought-in services | £9 | £88 | £29–£189 |
Compare side by side with the 3 most similar schools
Which schools are these?
- Brewood Middle CofE Academy Tight
- Cambridge Academy for Science and Technology Large reserves
- Millom School In deficit
- Queen Elizabeth High School Tight
- St Egwin's CofE Middle School Large reserves
- Nidderdale High School In deficit
- Silverstone UTC In deficit
- UTC Portsmouth Large reserves
- Heathside Walton-on-Thames Large reserves
- Kirkby Stephen Grammar School Tight
- Fairlands Middle School Large reserves
- Maiden Erlegh Chiltern Edge Healthy
Where the money comes from, 2024-25
| Source | Amount | Per pupil |
|---|---|---|
Government grants | £3.2m | £7,094 |
SEN funding (part of grants) | £210k | £472 |
Self-generated (lettings, catering, donations) | £70k | £157 |
Money raised by parents
ST MARY'S SCHOOL ASSOCIATION, PUDDLETOWN (charity 1097776, Registered) raised £12k in its latest year.
| Year ending | Income | Spending |
|---|---|---|
2025-08 | £12k | £11k |
2024-08 | £14k | £12k |
2023-08 | £11k | £12k |
2022-08 | £11k | £9k |
2021-08 | £9k | £12k |
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?
- 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.
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