Meadows First School: school finances
Large reserves
Holds £268k in reserve, 9% of a year's income.
Latest full year 2025-26, as a council-run school (CFR return, April–March). Worcestershire · Primary · Academy converter.
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 2025-26
Income and spending, 2018-19 to 2025-26
Income Spending
Show the figures as a table
| Year | Income | Spending | Balance | Reserve | Pupils |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2018-19 | £2.0m | £2.0m | -£10k | £399k | 338 |
2019-20 | £2.0m | £2.0m | +£17k | £417k | 330 |
2020-21 | £2.0m | £2.0m | +£93k | £510k | 328 |
2021-22 | £2.1m | £2.1m | +£3k | £513k | 332 |
2022-23 | £2.2m | £2.4m | -£192k | £321k | 326 |
2023-24 | £2.3m | £2.5m | -£153k | £168k | 322 |
2024-25 | £2.6m | £2.6m | -£5k | £163k | 331 |
2025-26 | £2.9m | £2.7m | +£105k | £268k | 339 |
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 67% of them. It spends £8,109 a pupil in total; similar schools typically spend £6,210.
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 | £3,534 | £3,143 | £2,793–£3,279 |
Support staff (e.g. TAs) | £1,610 | £1,159 | £969–£1,398 |
Supply staff | £32 | £100 | £55–£179 |
Admin and clerical | £316 | £248 | £181–£310 |
Premises | £1,234 | £302 | £261–£359 |
Energy | £0 | £85 | £69–£98 |
Learning resources & ICT | £221 | £254 | £210–£358 |
Bought-in services | £245 | £114 | £69–£221 |
Compare side by side with the 3 most similar schools
Which schools are these?
- Hook Infant School In deficit
- Great Sankey Primary School Large reserves
- Greave Primary School Tight
- Handforth Grange Primary School Large reserves
- John of Rolleston Primary School Healthy
- St Teresa's Catholic Primary School Large reserves
- Upton Heath CofE Primary School Healthy
- Northway Primary School Large reserves
- Buckden CofE Primary School Large reserves
- Greenfield Primary School Healthy
- Woodlands Primary School Large reserves
- Drayton CofE Junior School Heading for deficit
Where the money comes from, 2025-26
| Source | Amount | Per pupil |
|---|---|---|
Government grants | £2.7m | £7,836 |
SEN funding (part of grants) | £402k | £1,186 |
Pupil premium (part of grants) | £76k | £225 |
Self-generated (lettings, catering, donations) | £197k | £582 |
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 premises is £1,234 a pupil, against a typical £302 for similar schools. What's behind that?
- Spending on bought-in services is £245 a pupil, against a typical £114 for similar schools. What's behind that?
- Spending on support staff (e.g. tas) is £1,610 a pupil, against a typical £1,159 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 Meadows First School · All Worcestershire school finances