St Margaret's Church of England Academy, Bowers Gifford: school finances
Tight
Holds £14k in reserve, under 3% of a year's income: little room for surprises.
Latest full year 2024-25, as a academy (accounts return, September–August). Essex · Primary · Academy converter.
Academies in a trust don't hold money on their own: THE DIOCESE OF CHELMSFORD VINE SCHOOLS 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 | £1.2m | £1.2m | -£44k | £268k | 240 |
2019-20 | £1.3m | £1.3m | -£59k | £206k | 237 |
2020-21 | £1.3m | £1.3m | +£59k | £301k | 219 |
2021-22 | £1.4m | £1.2m | +£143k | £375k | 212 |
2022-23 | £1.5m | £975k | +£547k | £453k | 203 |
2023-24 | £1.5m | £1.3m | +£156k | £106k | 210 |
2024-25 | £1.4m | £1.5m | -£40k | £14k | 184 |
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 £8,016 a pupil in total; similar schools typically spend £7,386.
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 | £1,766 | £3,392 | £3,073–£3,653 |
Support staff (e.g. TAs) | £1,155 | £1,408 | £1,213–£1,640 |
Supply staff | £752 | £128 | £41–£299 |
Admin and clerical | £970 | £321 | £222–£420 |
Premises | £627 | £369 | £301–£499 |
Energy | £180 | £98 | £86–£125 |
Learning resources & ICT | £354 | £298 | £252–£336 |
Bought-in services | £910 | £180 | £91–£278 |
Compare side by side with the 3 most similar schools
Which schools are these?
- Holy Trinity Catholic School, Chipping Norton Healthy
- St Hilda's Church of England Primary School Tight
- St Nicholas CofE (VA) Primary School and Nursery Large reserves
- The William Amory Primary School In deficit
- Holy Souls Roman Catholic Primary School Blackburn Large reserves
- Plympton St Maurice Primary School Large reserves
- Wyburns Primary School In deficit
- St Mary's Catholic Primary School In deficit
- Bovington Academy In deficit
- Featherstone Purston Infant School In deficit
- Portobello Primary School In deficit
- Holy Family Catholic Primary School Large reserves
Where the money comes from, 2024-25
| Source | Amount | Per pupil |
|---|---|---|
Government grants | £1.3m | £7,030 |
SEN funding (part of grants) | £32k | £174 |
Self-generated (lettings, catering, donations) | £152k | £828 |
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?
- Pupil numbers have fallen 24% since 2018-19. How is the school planning for fewer pupils, and the funding that goes with them?
- Spending on supply staff is £752 a pupil, against a typical £128 for similar schools. What's behind that?
- Spending on bought-in services is £910 a pupil, against a typical £180 for similar schools. What's behind that?
- Spending on admin and clerical is £970 a pupil, against a typical £321 for similar schools. What's behind that?
- Spending on energy is £180 a pupil, against a typical £98 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.
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