Meadow Primary School: school finances
Tight
Holds £6k in reserve, under 3% of a year's income: little room for surprises.
Latest full year 2023-24, as a council-run school (CFR return, April–March). Cheshire West and Chester · 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 | £1.9m | £1.9m | +£10k | £92k | 426 |
2019-20 | £2.1m | £2.1m | +£20k | £112k | 432 |
2020-21 | £2.1m | £2.1m | +£64k | £177k | 426 |
2021-22 | £2.4m | £2.4m | -£15k | £162k | 421 |
2022-23 | £2.5m | £2.5m | +£547 | £162k | 420 |
2023-24 | £2.5m | £2.7m | -£156k | £6k | 426 |
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 3% of them. It spends £6,298 a pupil in total; similar schools typically spend £6,058.
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 | £2,901 | £2,932 | £2,764–£3,098 |
Support staff (e.g. TAs) | £1,317 | £1,191 | £1,014–£1,336 |
Supply staff | £192 | £78 | £33–£120 |
Admin and clerical | £208 | £314 | £246–£394 |
Premises | £268 | £295 | £275–£334 |
Energy | £116 | £75 | £61–£90 |
Learning resources & ICT | £252 | £235 | £193–£311 |
Bought-in services | £185 | £101 | £60–£175 |
Compare side by side with the 3 most similar schools
Which schools are these?
- Maney Hill Primary School Large reserves
- The Marist Catholic Primary School Healthy
- Kingslea Primary School Healthy
- Highover Primary School Large reserves
- Langton Green Primary School Healthy
- Krishna Avanti Primary School Large reserves
- St Peter's Catholic Primary School Large reserves
- Silverhill Primary School Healthy
- St Wilfrid's Catholic Primary School Large reserves
- Samuel Lucas Primary School Tight
- Rivermead Primary School Healthy
- Great Kingshill Church of England Combined School Large reserves
Where the money comes from, 2023-24
| Source | Amount | Per pupil |
|---|---|---|
Government grants | £2.3m | £5,295 |
SEN funding (part of grants) | £239k | £562 |
Pupil premium (part of grants) | £31k | £72 |
Self-generated (lettings, catering, donations) | £271k | £636 |
Money raised by parents
FAMILIES OF MEADOW PARENT TEACHER ASSOCIATION (charity 1088114, Registered) raised £11k in its latest year.
| Year ending | Income | Spending |
|---|---|---|
2025-08 | £11k | £5k |
2024-08 | £11k | £13k |
2023-08 | £15k | £16k |
2022-08 | £12k | £5k |
2021-08 | £8k | £3k |
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 supply staff is £192 a pupil, against a typical £78 for similar schools. What's behind that?
- Spending on energy is £116 a pupil, against a typical £75 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 Meadow Primary School · All Cheshire West and Chester school finances