Milking Bank Primary School: school finances
Tight
Holds £74k in reserve, under 3% of a year's income: little room for surprises.
Latest full year 2025-26, as a council-run school (CFR return, April–March). Dudley · 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 | £1.9m | £2.0m | -£82k | £171k | 444 |
2019-20 | £2.1m | £2.1m | -£13k | £158k | 451 |
2020-21 | £2.1m | £2.2m | -£40k | £119k | 446 |
2021-22 | £2.3m | £2.3m | -£10k | £109k | 446 |
2022-23 | £2.4m | £2.4m | -£70k | £39k | 451 |
2023-24 | £2.5m | £2.5m | +£47k | £86k | 450 |
2024-25 | £2.7m | £2.7m | +£84k | £170k | 450 |
2025-26 | £2.9m | £3.0m | -£96k | £74k | 450 |
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 17% of them. It spends £6,616 a pupil in total; similar schools typically spend £6,134.
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 | £2,747 | £2,970 | £2,758–£3,101 |
Support staff (e.g. TAs) | £1,484 | £1,233 | £1,071–£1,453 |
Supply staff | £463 | £62 | £21–£128 |
Admin and clerical | £237 | £248 | £176–£301 |
Premises | £262 | £288 | £262–£347 |
Energy | £64 | £81 | £71–£92 |
Learning resources & ICT | £337 | £251 | £184–£311 |
Bought-in services | £167 | £136 | £90–£176 |
Compare side by side with the 3 most similar schools
Which schools are these?
- Dartford Bridge Community Primary School Large reserves
- Woodlands Primary Academy Large reserves
- Holy Rosary Catholic Primary School Heading for deficit
- St Louis Catholic Primary School Large reserves
- Benton Park Primary School Healthy
- Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School Healthy
- Cranberry Academy Large reserves
- Poringland Primary School In deficit
- Denton West End Primary School Large reserves
- Walsgrave Church of England Academy Healthy
- Northowram Primary School Healthy
- Outwood Primary Academy Ledger Lane Large reserves
Where the money comes from, 2025-26
| Source | Amount | Per pupil |
|---|---|---|
Government grants | £2.7m | £5,988 |
SEN funding (part of grants) | £124k | £275 |
Pupil premium (part of grants) | £85k | £190 |
Self-generated (lettings, catering, donations) | £186k | £415 |
Money raised by parents
MILKING BANK HOME AND SCHOOL ASSOCIATION (charity 1023983, Registered) raised £14k in its latest year.
| Year ending | Income | Spending |
|---|---|---|
2025-07 | £14k | £17k |
2024-07 | £8k | £7k |
2023-07 | £8k | £6k |
2022-07 | £9k | £7k |
2021-07 | £6k | £7k |
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 £463 a pupil, against a typical £62 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 Milking Bank Primary School · All Dudley school finances