Highwood Copse Primary School: school finances
Large reserves
Holds £451k in reserve, 44% of a year's income.
Latest full year 2024-25, as a academy (accounts return, September–August). West Berkshire · Primary · Free schools.
Academies in a trust don't hold money on their own: THE THAMES LEARNING 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, 2022-23 to 2024-25
Income and spending, 2022-23 to 2024-25
Income Spending
Show the figures as a table
| Year | Income | Spending | Balance | Reserve | Pupils |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2022-23 | £477k | £531k | -£54k | £52k | 56 |
2023-24 | £730k | £621k | +£109k | £188k | 83 |
2024-25 | £1.0m | £914k | +£118k | £451k | 122 |
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 100% of them. It spends £7,492 a pupil in total; similar schools typically spend £7,267.
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 | £2,672 | £3,423 | £3,144–£3,687 |
Support staff (e.g. TAs) | £1,090 | £1,144 | £868–£1,571 |
Supply staff | £131 | £143 | £58–£392 |
Admin and clerical | £320 | £370 | £314–£468 |
Premises | £590 | £406 | £344–£479 |
Energy | £369 | £125 | £95–£142 |
Learning resources & ICT | £320 | £352 | £259–£484 |
Bought-in services | £0 | £169 | £123–£325 |
Compare side by side with the 3 most similar schools
Which schools are these?
- Adlington Primary School Healthy
- Skelmanthorpe Academy Tight
- Barrowford St Thomas Church of England Primary School Large reserves
- Milton-on-Stour Church of England Primary School Healthy
- Corpus Christi Catholic Primary School In deficit
- St Mary's VA CofE Lower School In deficit
- Tysoe CofE Primary School Large reserves
- Tewin Cowper Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School Large reserves
- Barmby Moor Church of England Primary School In deficit
- St John's Church of England Primary School, Thornham Healthy
- Hemingbrough Community Primary School Tight
- St Thomas of Canterbury Catholic Primary School Healthy
Where the money comes from, 2024-25
| Source | Amount | Per pupil |
|---|---|---|
Government grants | £957k | £7,844 |
SEN funding (part of grants) | £15k | £123 |
Self-generated (lettings, catering, donations) | £75k | £615 |
Money raised by parents
HIGHWOOD COPSE PRIMARY PTFA (charity 1200637, Registered) raised £6k in its latest year.
| Year ending | Income | Spending |
|---|---|---|
2025-06 | £6k | £3k |
2024-06 | £7k | £3k |
2023-06 | £3k | £1k |
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?
- Spending on energy is £369 a pupil, against a typical £125 for similar schools. What's behind that?
- Spending on premises is £590 a pupil, against a typical £406 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 Highwood Copse Primary School · All West Berkshire school finances