St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Bicester: school finances
Large reserves
Holds £236k in reserve, 17% of a year's income.
Latest full year 2023-24, as a council-run school (CFR return, April–March). Oxfordshire · Primary · Academy converter.
Earlier years come from this school's return before it became an academy (a different DfE number).
A 2024-25 return is published too, but it covers part of a year or leaves out the income or reserve figure, so the latest complete year is shown.
Reserve at the end of each year, 2018-19 to 2023-24
Income and spending, 2018-19 to 2023-24
Income Spending
Show the figures as a table
| Year | Income | Spending | Balance | Reserve | Pupils |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2018-19 | £1.1m | £1.2m | -£25k | £301k | 239 |
2019-20 | £1.1m | £1.2m | -£86k | £215k | 223 |
2020-21 | £1.0m | £1.1m | -£43k | £172k | 228 |
2021-22 | £1.1m | £1.1m | -£20k | £151k | 229 |
2022-23 | £1.2m | £1.2m | +£3k | £155k | 248 |
2023-24 | £1.4m | £1.3m | +£82k | £236k | 229 |
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 80% of them. It spends £5,658 a pupil in total; similar schools typically spend £6,610.
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 | £2,378 | £3,164 | £2,931–£3,460 |
Support staff (e.g. TAs) | £1,215 | £1,296 | £998–£1,552 |
Supply staff | £87 | £100 | £47–£219 |
Admin and clerical | £195 | £307 | £273–£385 |
Premises | £325 | £324 | £291–£389 |
Energy | £110 | £116 | £94–£152 |
Learning resources & ICT | £426 | £272 | £205–£356 |
Bought-in services | £408 | £130 | £48–£240 |
Compare side by side with the 3 most similar schools
Which schools are these?
- Kippax North Primary School Large reserves
- Valley Invicta Primary School at Holborough Lakes Large reserves
- Holy Family Catholic Primary School Large reserves
- Cuxton Community Junior School Healthy
- Kirk Sandall Infant School In deficit
- Woodside Primary School Healthy
- Clapham Terrace Community Primary School and Nursery Large reserves
- Wynndale Primary School Healthy
- St Mary's Voluntary Controlled Church of England Junior School Large reserves
- Kingsteignton School Tight
- Blacklow Brow School Heading for deficit
- Primrose Lane Primary School Healthy
Where the money comes from, 2023-24
| Source | Amount | Per pupil |
|---|---|---|
Government grants | £1.3m | £5,819 |
SEN funding (part of grants) | £69k | £302 |
Pupil premium (part of grants) | £41k | £180 |
Self-generated (lettings, catering, donations) | £45k | £195 |
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?
- Could any of the surplus be clawed back under the council's scheme for financing schools?
- Spending on bought-in services is £408 a pupil, against a typical £130 for similar schools. What's behind that?
- Spending on learning resources & ict is £426 a pupil, against a typical £272 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 Mary's Catholic Primary School, Bicester · All Oxfordshire school finances