St James' Church of England First School and Nursery, Alderholt: school finances
Healthy
Holds £28k in reserve, 4% of a year's income.
Latest full year 2024-25, as a academy (accounts return, September–August). Dorset · Primary · Academy converter.
Academies in a trust don't hold money on their own: THE HEATH 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 | £445k | £430k | +£15k | £50k | 73 |
2019-20 | £595k | £602k | -£7k | £22k | 109 |
2020-21 | £604k | £580k | +£24k | £28k | 93 |
2021-22 | £587k | £523k | +£64k | £66k | 102 |
2022-23 | £655k | £583k | +£72k | £103k | 97 |
2023-24 | £692k | £643k | +£49k | £129k | 104 |
2024-25 | £787k | £812k | -£25k | £28k | 125 |
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 37% of them. It spends £6,496 a pupil in total; similar schools typically spend £7,213.
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 | £2,072 | £3,523 | £3,208–£3,837 |
Support staff (e.g. TAs) | £3,104 | £1,212 | £987–£1,585 |
Supply staff | £56 | £146 | £51–£274 |
Admin and clerical | £0 | £422 | £332–£503 |
Premises | £400 | £345 | £288–£543 |
Energy | £96 | £132 | £97–£162 |
Learning resources & ICT | £72 | £360 | £272–£497 |
Bought-in services | £104 | £172 | £80–£243 |
Compare side by side with the 3 most similar schools
Which schools are these?
- Haynes Lower School Large reserves
- Sherston CofE Primary School Large reserves
- Wolviston Primary School Tight
- Aston St Mary's Church of England Aided Primary School Large reserves
- Pollington-Balne Church of England Primary School In deficit
- Stannington First School Large reserves
- Trumps Green Infant School In deficit
- Darrington Church of England Primary School Healthy
- Thelwall Infant School In deficit
- Wescott Infant School Large reserves
- All Saints Church of England Primary School Healthy
- St Andrew's Church of England Primary Academy, Marks Tey Large reserves
Where the money comes from, 2024-25
| Source | Amount | Per pupil |
|---|---|---|
Government grants | £732k | £5,856 |
SEN funding (part of grants) | £2k | £16 |
Self-generated (lettings, catering, donations) | £55k | £440 |
Money raised by parents
ST JAMES' FIRST SCHOOL, ALDERHOLT, PARENT TEACHER ASSOCIATION (charity 1059370, Registered) raised £12k in its latest year.
| Year ending | Income | Spending |
|---|---|---|
2025-08 | £12k | £10k |
2024-08 | £7k | £5k |
2023-08 | £9k | £7k |
2022-08 | £4k | £3k |
2021-08 | £3k | £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.
- Spending on support staff (e.g. tas) is £3,104 a pupil, against a typical £1,212 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.
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