St. Mary's Bluecoat Church of England Primary School: school finances
Heading for deficit
Has spent more than it received for 2 years running; at that rate its £20k reserve runs out in about 1 year.
Latest full year 2023-24, as a council-run school (CFR return, April–March). Shropshire · 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 | £781k | £759k | +£21k | £52k | 162 |
2019-20 | £854k | £868k | -£14k | £39k | 178 |
2020-21 | £1.0m | £994k | +£33k | £71k | 205 |
2021-22 | £1.2m | £1.2m | +£12k | £83k | 189 |
2022-23 | £1.2m | £1.3m | -£22k | £61k | 199 |
2023-24 | £1.4m | £1.4m | -£41k | £20k | 174 |
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 20% of them. It spends £8,076 a pupil in total; similar schools typically spend £7,113.
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 | £4,254 | £3,261 | £2,927–£3,491 |
Support staff (e.g. TAs) | £1,129 | £1,347 | £1,059–£1,739 |
Supply staff | £400 | £201 | £83–£360 |
Admin and clerical | £339 | £405 | £314–£510 |
Premises | £406 | £355 | £299–£427 |
Energy | £212 | £116 | £95–£148 |
Learning resources & ICT | £278 | £249 | £193–£346 |
Bought-in services | £249 | £168 | £98–£306 |
Compare side by side with the 3 most similar schools
Which schools are these?
- Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Primary School Blackburn Tight
- Elmtree Infant and Nursery School Large reserves
- Hassell Primary School In deficit
- Boney Hay Primary Academy Large reserves
- Nailsworth Church of England Primary School Tight
- Woolston Infant School Tight
- St Philip's Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy Large reserves
- William Cassidi Church of England Aided Primary School Large reserves
- Airy Hill Primary School Healthy
- St Peter's Crosskeys CofE Academy Large reserves
- Holy Trinity Church of England Primary School In deficit
- Dudley Infant Academy Tight
Where the money comes from, 2023-24
| Source | Amount | Per pupil |
|---|---|---|
Government grants | £1.3m | £7,550 |
SEN funding (part of grants) | £188k | £1,083 |
Pupil premium (part of grants) | £76k | £438 |
Self-generated (lettings, catering, donations) | £70k | £404 |
Questions to ask the school
Useful for parents, governors and PTA committees.
- What is the plan to stop spending more than the school receives each year?
- Spending on supply staff is £400 a pupil, against a typical £201 for similar schools. What's behind that?
- Spending on energy is £212 a pupil, against a typical £116 for similar schools. What's behind that?
- Spending on teachers is £4,254 a pupil, against a typical £3,261 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 Bluecoat Church of England Primary School · All Shropshire school finances