Our Lady's Catholic Primary School: school finances
Tight
Holds £10k 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). Buckinghamshire · Primary · Academy converter.
Academies in a trust don't hold money on their own: ST THOMAS CATHOLIC ACADEMIES TRUST can move money between its schools. The reserve includes this school's per-pupil share of the trust's central reserve.
Earlier years come from this school's return before it became an academy (a different DfE number).
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 | £1.0m | £1.0m | -£14k | £25k | 218 |
2019-20 | £1.1m | £1.1m | -£45k | -£20k | 217 |
2020-21 | £1.1m | £1.0m | +£69k | £49k | 212 |
2022-23 | £1.3m | £1.3m | +£40k | £62k | 215 |
2023-24 | £1.4m | £1.4m | +£27k | £21k | 211 |
2024-25 | £1.5m | £1.4m | +£57k | £10k | 213 |
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 13% of them. It spends £6,620 a pupil in total; similar schools typically spend £6,345.
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 | £3,380 | £3,121 | £2,863–£3,333 |
Support staff (e.g. TAs) | £1,174 | £1,196 | £1,049–£1,389 |
Supply staff | £9 | £68 | £15–£121 |
Admin and clerical | £207 | £335 | £289–£394 |
Premises | £183 | £334 | £272–£392 |
Energy | £146 | £86 | £76–£103 |
Learning resources & ICT | £357 | £323 | £281–£366 |
Bought-in services | £155 | £165 | £90–£294 |
Compare side by side with the 3 most similar schools
Which schools are these?
- St Gabriel's Church of England Primary School Large reserves
- Wainstalls School Large reserves
- Grayshott Church of England Controlled Primary School Large reserves
- Kingsdown and Ringwould Church of England Primary School Healthy
- St James-the-Less Roman Catholic Primary School, Rawtenstall Large reserves
- St Paul's Church of England Combined School, Wooburn In deficit
- Benenden Church of England Primary School Large reserves
- Coltishall Primary School Healthy
- Holy Family Catholic Primary School Large reserves
- The Vale Primary School and Nursery Large reserves
- St Felix Roman Catholic Primary School, Haverhill Large reserves
- Harden Primary School Large reserves
Where the money comes from, 2024-25
| Source | Amount | Per pupil |
|---|---|---|
Government grants | £1.3m | £6,291 |
SEN funding (part of grants) | £74k | £347 |
Self-generated (lettings, catering, donations) | £127k | £596 |
Money raised by parents
OUR LADY'S ROMAN CATHOLIC COMBINED SCHOOL PARENT TEACHER ASSOCIATION (charity 272067, Registered) raised £21k in its latest year.
| Year ending | Income | Spending |
|---|---|---|
2025-07 | £21k | £8k |
2024-07 | £24k | £16k |
2023-07 | £20k | £9k |
2022-07 | £26k | £39k |
2021-07 | £17k | £13k |
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 would the school do if costs rose unexpectedly, such as energy or a pay award that isn't fully funded?
- Spending on energy is £146 a pupil, against a typical £86 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 Our Lady's Catholic Primary School · All Buckinghamshire school finances