School Funding & Financial Context
Understanding a school's financial landscape provides important context about the resources available to support your child's education. The Department for Education publishes financial benchmarking data to show how state-funded schools are spending their budgets. Below, we break down the latest funding figures for St Peter's Catholic Comprehensive School and explain what they mean in the context of the local area.
Per-Pupil Expenditure Analyzed
For the 2024-25 academic year, the total per-pupil expenditure at St Peter's Catholic Comprehensive School was reported as £6906. This metric takes the school's total budget expenditure and divides it by the number of pupils on roll (1967). It includes costs such as teaching staff, support staff, premises management, and educational supplies.
To understand if this figure is high or low, we must compare it to similar schools in the area. The average per-pupil expenditure across all secondary schools in the BCP (Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole) local authority is £7275.27. When we narrow that comparison down to just non-selective schools (the fairest peer group for a comprehensive school), the average is £7381.56.
At £6906, St Peter's Catholic Comprehensive School spends less per pupil than the BCP non-selective average. This variance can be attributed to several factors. For instance, larger schools often benefit from economies of scale, allowing them to spread fixed costs (like building maintenance or leadership salaries) across a larger pupil base, resulting in a lower per-pupil figure without necessarily reflecting a lack of resources in the classroom. Additionally, funding allocations are influenced by the demographic makeup of the student body; schools with lower percentages of pupils eligible for Free School Meals (14.2% here, compared to the 26.96% non-selective average) receive less Pupil Premium grant funding, which also impacts the final expenditure figure.
Investment in Teaching Staff
Of the total per-pupil expenditure, £3884 is dedicated specifically to teaching staff. This represents the direct investment into the educators standing in front of the students every day. Generally, teaching staff costs make up the vast majority of any school's budget, and this figure highlights the financial commitment to delivering the curriculum.
Official Sources
Financial benchmarking data is incredibly nuanced and can fluctuate based on trust-level accounting practices or capital grants. You can explore the full financial breakdown and compare St Peter's Catholic Comprehensive School to other schools nationally using the DfE Financial Benchmarking Tool.