Altham St James Church of England Primary School

URN 119577·Primary·Voluntary aided school·Compare

Flags

1 high

Reserves declining over 3 years (6% to 1%)Reserves at 1.2% of incomeReserves at 2.0% of income

Finance: 2025/26Ofsted: Mar 2026Performance: 2025/26Workforce: 2026/27Attendance: 2025/26

Per-pupil income

£7,598.86

+£500

2024/25

Staff costs % of income

74.3%

−1.7pp

DfE review threshold: 78%

Reserves

2.0%

+0.8pp

of income

In-year balance

+0.9%

+1.3pp

of income

Key indicators

Reserves declining over 3 years (6% to 1%)

Reserves have fallen in each of the last 3 years, from 6.1% to 1.2%.

Reserves at 1.2% of income

DfE considers reserves below 5% of income a vulnerability indicator. Current level: 1.2%.

Reserves at 2.0% of income

DfE considers reserves below 5% of income a vulnerability indicator. Current level: 2.0%.

Latest Ofsted inspection

10 March 2026 · S5 Inspection

Curriculum & teaching

Expected standard

Achievement

Expected standard

Inclusion

Expected standard

Attendance & behaviour

Strong standard

Personal development

Expected standard

Leadership

Expected standard

Performance snapshot

Expected standard (reading)73.0%

Expected standard (writing)100.0%

Expected standard (maths)82.0%

Combined (RWM)ⓘPercentage of pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing, and maths at the end of primary school.64.0%

2024/25 · KS2

School demographics

Pupils on roll

Capacity

63 (133%)

Free school meals

7.1%

English additional lang.

3.6%

Ethnicity

White British 96.4%Asian 1.2%Black 1.2%Chinese 1.2%

Age range: 4–11

Context: similar schools

Methodology

Your school compared against 30 similar primary schools in North West, matched by FSM%, SEN%, and size. Differences reflect school strategy and context, not performance.

Peer range Middle 50% Median Your school

Staff costs % of income

74.3%40th percentile

School: 74.3%Median: 75.2%Mean: 76.6%SD: 5.2

Reserves % of income

2.0%40th percentile

School: 2.0%Median: 3.4%Mean: 1.6%SD: 10.3

Overall absence %

3.1%8th percentile

School: 3.1%Median: 4.4%Mean: 4.3%SD: 0.9

Persistent absence %

1.5%0th percentile

School: 1.5%Median: 7.3%Mean: 7.9%SD: 3.3

KS2 combined %

64%48th percentile

School: 64%Median: 66%Mean: 60%SD: 22

Pupil:teacher ratio

17.470th percentile

School: 17.4Median: 16.4Mean: 16.7SD: 3.0

Admin cost per pupil

£44072th percentile

School: £440Median: £378Mean: £379SD: £112

Financial health score

Methodology

40/ 100

Reserves health7/40

Peer percentile + trajectory. DfE range: 5-20% of income.

Staff cost sustainability21/35

Peer percentile + agency/supply adjustment. DfE threshold: 80%.

Revenue resilience12/25

In-year balance + pupil trend + income diversity.

Workforce

FTE teachersⓘFull-time equivalent: a measure of workforce size where part-time staff are counted proportionally.

5.0

Pupil:teacher ratioⓘNumber of pupils per full-time equivalent teacher. Lower generally indicates smaller class sizes.

16.8

Mean salary

£49,621

Turnover

—

Vacancy rate

0.0%

Sickness (days)

—

Attendance

Overall absence

3.0%

National avg: 6.2%

Persistent absenceⓘPupils missing 10% or more of school sessions. A key DfE attendance measure.

1.5%

10%+ sessions missed

Authorised absence

2.5%

Unauthorised absence

0.5%

2024/25 · 67 pupils

Financial

Income and expenditure — year-by-year table

Year	Total income	Total expenditure	Staff costs	Staff %ⓘTotal staff-related spending as a proportion of income. DfE review threshold: 78% of income.	In-year balanceⓘIncome minus expenditure for the year, as a percentage of income. Negative means spending exceeded income.	ReservesⓘAccumulated surplus funds carried forward. Expressed as a percentage of annual income.	Reserves %	Per-pupil income
2021/22	£470k	£489k	£358k	76.2%	-£19k	£29k	6.1%	£6,719
2022/23	£515k	£534k	£402k	78.1%	-£19k	£9k	1.8%	£6,961
2023/24	£561k	£563k	£426k	75.9%	-£2k	£7k	1.2%	£7,099
2024/25	£616k	£610k	£457k	74.3%	+£5k	£12k	2.0%	£7,599

Cost breakdown — 2024/25

Teaching staff

£299k

49% of spend

Support staff

£83k

14% of spend

Premises

£38k

6% of spend

Other costs

£115k

19% of spend

Detailed expenditure — 2023/24 line items

Staffing

Teaching staff

£299k49.1%

Supply teaching

£00.0%

Agency supply

£00.0%

Education support

£83k13.6%

Admin & clerical

£36k5.8%

Premises staff

£23k3.8%

Catering staff

£00.0%

Other staff

£33k5.3%

Non-staff costs

Energy

£10k1.7%

Building maintenance

£15k2.5%

Cleaning & caretaking

£00.0%

Rent & rates

£1k0.2%

Water & sewerage

£4k0.7%

ICT & technology

£7k1.2%

Learning resources

£17k2.7%

Catering supplies

£36k5.9%

Exam fees

£00.0%

Legal & professional

£18k2.9%

Auditor costs

£18k2.9%

Admin supplies

£7k1.1%

Other insurance

£3k0.5%

As percentage of income

Admin staff

5.8%

Energy

1.6%

ICT

1.2%

Premises (total)

5.2%

Supply staff

0.7%

Catering

5.8%

Professional services

5.7%

Performance

Key Stage 2 results

Year	Reading	Writing	Maths	Combined (RWM)ⓘPercentage of pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing, and maths at the end of primary school.	Pupils
2024/25	73.0%	100.0%	82.0%	64.0%	—
2023/24	—%	—%	—%	73.0%	—
2022/23	—%	—%	—%	70.0%	—

Workforce

Workforce census

Year	FTE teachersⓘFull-time equivalent: a measure of workforce size where part-time staff are counted proportionally.	Pupil:teacher ratioⓘNumber of pupils per full-time equivalent teacher. Lower generally indicates smaller class sizes.	Mean salary	Turnover	Vacancy rate	Sickness (days)	Admin FTEⓘFull-time equivalent administrative and clerical staff. Part-time roles counted proportionally.	Admin HCⓘAdministrative staff headcount (all individuals regardless of hours).
2021/22	—	20.3	£47,535	29.4%	0.0%	—	—	—
2022/23	—	20.8	£43,240	0.0%	0.0%	—	—	—
2023/24	—	17.4	£41,879	0.0%	0.0%	2.3	—	—
2024/25	—	17.8	£47,898	13.0%	0.0%	—	—	—
2025/26	5.0	16.8	£49,621	—%	0.0%	—	0.9	1

Attendance

Overall absence

3.0%

National avg: 6.2%

Persistent absence

1.5%

Pupils missing 10%+ of sessions

Authorised absence

2.5%

2024/25

Unauthorised absence

0.5%

2024/25

Absence composition — 2024/25

Authorised 2.5%Unauthorised 0.5%

Absence — year-by-year table

Year	Overall	National avg	vs National	Persistent	Authorised	Unauthorised	Pupils
2013/14	2.8%	4.4%	-1.6pp	0.0%	2.1%	0.7%	54
2014/15	2.7%	4.5%	-1.8pp	2.3%	2.0%	0.7%	43
2015/16	4.2%	4.5%	-0.3pp	10.9%	3.5%	0.7%	46
2016/17	3.0%	4.6%	-1.6pp	4.1%	2.3%	0.7%	49
2017/18	3.6%	4.8%	-1.1pp	1.9%	2.7%	0.9%	53
2018/19	2.4%	4.6%	-2.2pp	1.9%	1.9%	0.6%	53
2020/21	1.7%	4.5%	-2.8pp	1.8%	1.3%	0.3%	55
2021/22	4.5%	7.1%	-2.7pp	7.7%	3.9%	0.6%	65
2022/23	4.5%	6.8%	-2.3pp	0.0%	3.8%	0.6%	61
2023/24	4.0%	6.6%	-2.5pp	7.8%	3.1%	0.9%	64
2024/25	3.0%	6.2%	-3.2pp	1.5%	2.5%	0.5%	67

Ofsted

Latest inspection

10 March 2026 · S5 Inspection

Curriculum & teaching

Achievement

Inclusion

Attendance & behaviour

Personal development

Leadership

UrgentAttentionExpectedStrongExceptional

Safeguarding standards: Met

From September 2024, Ofsted no longer gives single overall effectiveness grades.

View full report on Ofsted →

Inspection history (2 earlier inspections)

Date	School name	Overall	Quality of education	Leadership	Safeguarding
20 Sept 2011	—	Good	—	Good	—
1 Mar 2007	—	Good	—	Good	—