Lantern Community Primary School: school finances
Large reserves
Holds £462k in reserve, 17% of a year's income.
Latest full year 2024-25, as a academy (accounts return, September–August). Cambridgeshire · Primary · Academy converter.
Academies in a trust don't hold money on their own: MERIDIAN 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 | £1.9m | £1.8m | +£164k | £101k | 406 |
2019-20 | £1.9m | £1.9m | -£2k | -£11k | 410 |
2020-21 | £2.1m | £2.0m | +£118k | -£3k | 396 |
2021-22 | £2.2m | £2.1m | +£143k | £132k | 386 |
2022-23 | £2.4m | £2.1m | +£302k | £255k | 397 |
2023-24 | £2.6m | £2.3m | +£283k | £352k | 407 |
2024-25 | £2.8m | £2.5m | +£259k | £462k | 400 |
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 90% of them. It spends £6,255 a pupil in total; similar schools typically spend £6,314.
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 | £3,035 | £3,054 | £2,938–£3,274 |
Support staff (e.g. TAs) | £990 | £1,118 | £949–£1,259 |
Supply staff | £65 | £117 | £59–£197 |
Admin and clerical | £298 | £297 | £233–£343 |
Premises | £295 | £307 | £256–£399 |
Energy | £88 | £85 | £72–£103 |
Learning resources & ICT | £275 | £292 | £208–£347 |
Bought-in services | £20 | £158 | £94–£237 |
Compare side by side with the 3 most similar schools
Which schools are these?
- Bailey's Court Primary School Large reserves
- Lightcliffe C of E Primary School Large reserves
- Summerlea Community Primary School Healthy
- Colden Common Primary School Large reserves
- Pirbright Village Primary School Healthy
- Aston Clinton School Tight
- Mortimer St Mary's C.E. Junior School Heading for deficit
- Elsenham Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Large reserves
- Warren Wood Primary School Healthy
- Great Wood Primary School Healthy
- Balshaw Lane Community Primary School Large reserves
- North Downs Primary School In deficit
Where the money comes from, 2024-25
| Source | Amount | Per pupil |
|---|---|---|
Government grants | £2.5m | £6,215 |
SEN funding (part of grants) | £107k | £268 |
Self-generated (lettings, catering, donations) | £275k | £688 |
Money raised by parents
FRIENDS OF THE LANTERN SCHOOL (charity 1119665, Registered) raised £26k in its latest year.
| Year ending | Income | Spending |
|---|---|---|
2025-08 | £26k | £22k |
2024-08 | £23k | £15k |
2023-08 | £22k | £21k |
2022-08 | £12k | £8k |
2021-08 | £7k | £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.
- 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.
Admissions, Ofsted and results for Lantern Community Primary School · All Cambridgeshire school finances