Dunstable Icknield Lower School: school finances
Large reserves
Holds £199k in reserve, 10% of a year's income.
Latest full year 2023-24, as a council-run school (CFR return, April–March). Central Bedfordshire · 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 | £1.5m | £1.5m | +£36k | £271k | 312 |
2019-20 | £1.4m | £1.5m | -£127k | £144k | 312 |
2020-21 | £1.5m | £1.6m | -£25k | £119k | 304 |
2021-22 | £1.5m | £1.5m | +£9k | £128k | 314 |
2022-23 | £1.7m | £1.6m | +£30k | £158k | 323 |
2023-24 | £2.0m | £2.0m | +£41k | £199k | 318 |
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 £6,251 a pupil in total; similar schools typically spend £6,575.
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 | £2,682 | £3,268 | £2,864–£3,390 |
Support staff (e.g. TAs) | £1,402 | £1,270 | £967–£1,551 |
Supply staff | £224 | £112 | £44–£202 |
Admin and clerical | £274 | £280 | £244–£333 |
Premises | £281 | £349 | £277–£397 |
Energy | £78 | £90 | £76–£103 |
Learning resources & ICT | £229 | £297 | £228–£401 |
Bought-in services | £220 | £109 | £64–£222 |
Compare side by side with the 3 most similar schools
Which schools are these?
- Kingmoor Junior School Healthy
- Bloxham Church of England Primary School In deficit
- Etwall Primary School In deficit
- Burton Road Primary School Heading for deficit
- Bradshaw Primary School In deficit
- Grange Primary School Healthy
- Uphill Village Academy Large reserves
- Beech Green Primary School In deficit
- Arnold View Primary School Healthy
- St Barnabas CofE Primary School Healthy
- Martham Academy and Nursery In deficit
- Minehead First School In deficit
Where the money comes from, 2023-24
| Source | Amount | Per pupil |
|---|---|---|
Government grants | £2.0m | £6,145 |
SEN funding (part of grants) | £117k | £367 |
Pupil premium (part of grants) | £48k | £152 |
Self-generated (lettings, catering, donations) | £85k | £269 |
Money raised by parents
DUNSTABLE ICKNIELD LOWER SCHOOL PARENT TEACHER ASSOCIATION (charity 1042727, Registered) raised £7k in its latest year.
| Year ending | Income | Spending |
|---|---|---|
2025-08 | £7k | £4k |
2024-08 | £7k | £5k |
2023-08 | £7k | £8k |
2022-08 | £6k | £7k |
2021-08 | £2k | £1k |
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?
- Could any of the surplus be clawed back under the council's scheme for financing schools?
- Spending on supply staff is £224 a pupil, against a typical £112 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 Dunstable Icknield Lower School · All Central Bedfordshire school finances