St Oswald's Catholic Primary School: school finances
Tight
Holds £67k 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). Liverpool · 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 | £2.9m | £3.1m | -£127k | £63k | 602 |
2019-20 | £3.0m | £3.1m | -£80k | -£17k | 601 |
2020-21 | £3.1m | £3.0m | +£83k | £66k | 588 |
2021-22 | £3.2m | £3.2m | -£57k | £9k | 584 |
2022-23 | £3.4m | £3.6m | -£210k | -£201k | 612 |
2023-24 | £3.8m | £3.8m | -£13k | -£214k | 616 |
2024-25 | £4.1m | £4.0m | +£104k | -£111k | 620 |
2025-26 | £4.4m | £4.2m | +£178k | £67k | 590 |
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 17% of them. It spends £7,080 a pupil in total; similar schools typically spend £7,014.
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 | £3,166 | £3,274 | £3,031–£3,536 |
Support staff (e.g. TAs) | £1,687 | £1,434 | £1,226–£1,723 |
Supply staff | £366 | £131 | £59–£207 |
Admin and clerical | £264 | £295 | £241–£350 |
Premises | £460 | £312 | £260–£379 |
Energy | £98 | £89 | £58–£117 |
Learning resources & ICT | £193 | £246 | £202–£293 |
Bought-in services | £169 | £156 | £67–£224 |
Compare side by side with the 3 most similar schools
Which schools are these?
- Hamstel Junior School Large reserves
- Rice Lane Primary School and Nursery Tight
- Vigo Primary School Healthy
- White Meadows Primary Academy Healthy
- St Michael's VA Junior School Healthy
- Michael Drayton Junior School Large reserves
- Riverside Primary School Large reserves
- Whitehouse Community Primary School Large reserves
- Sneyd Academy In deficit
- Millhouse Primary School Large reserves
- Bare Trees Primary School Tight
- St. George's School Large reserves
Where the money comes from, 2025-26
| Source | Amount | Per pupil |
|---|---|---|
Government grants | £3.9m | £6,613 |
Pupil premium (part of grants) | £319k | £541 |
Self-generated (lettings, catering, donations) | £453k | £769 |
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 £366 a pupil, against a typical £131 for similar schools. What's behind that?
- Spending on premises is £460 a pupil, against a typical £312 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 Oswald's Catholic Primary School · All Liverpool school finances