St John the Divine Church of England Primary School: school finances
Latest full year 2025-26, as a council-run school (CFR return, April to March). Lambeth · Primary · Voluntary aided school
In deficit
In deficit by £100k £1,040 per pupil, 7% of a year's income: it has spent more over the years than it received.
Why schools go into deficit. Most of a school's money goes on people: over 80% of schools' costs are staff costs. So when pay and other costs rise faster than funding, or a school loses pupils and the money that comes with each one, the budget is squeezed quickly and staffing is the only big thing left to cut. In 2024–25 and 2025–26, mainstream school funding per pupil grew by 2 percentage points less than school costs, partly because rising special needs costs took a large share of the extra money. A deficit usually comes from several of these pressures at once, not one bad decision. (IFS, pp. 62–63)
What helps. Schools in this position usually agree a recovery plan with the council, often over two or three years, and governors check progress against it each term. The questions further down are a good way to start that conversation.
Status by year
- 2018-19 Healthy reserve between 3% and 8% of a year's income
- 2019-20 In deficit reserve below zero
- 2020-21 Healthy reserve between 3% and 8% of a year's income
- 2021-22 Healthy same as the year before
- 2022-23 Healthy same as the year before
- 2023-24 Healthy same as the year before
- 2024-25 In deficit reserve below zero
- 2025-26 In deficit same as the year before
Government funding vs spending per pupil
In 2025-26, government funding was £1.3m £13,793 per pupil and spending £1.3m £13,870 per pupil. Spending was £7k £77 per pupil more than government funding; the difference came from other income, such as lettings, catering or donations, or from the school's reserve.
Funding is the money a school receives; spending is what it pays out. The two differ when a school adds to or draws on its savings, and because some money is spent on its pupils by someone else: the council (for example special needs top-ups and transport) or, for academies, the trust's central team. (IFS, pp. 7, 10, 46, 52, 54)
Government funding is the academy accounts line "grant funding from government" in academy (AAR) years and the CFR grant funding total in council-run years. The two are not strictly comparable: CFR line I07 can include some money that is not from government.
Real terms: in 2025-26 prices (HM Treasury GDP deflator, October 2026).
Reserve per pupil by year
Real terms: in 2025-26 prices (HM Treasury GDP deflator, October 2026).
| Year | Pupils | Income | Spending | In-year balance | Reserve at year end |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | 96.5 | £1.3m £13,921 per pupil | £1.3m £13,870 per pupil | +£5k +£51 per pupil | -£100k -£1,040 per pupil |
| 2024-25 | 134.0 | £1.2m £8,710 per pupil | £1.4m £10,106 per pupil | -£187k -£1,396 per pupil | -£105k -£786 per pupil |
| 2023-24 | 130.0 | £1.3m £9,671 per pupil | £1.2m £9,412 per pupil | +£34k +£258 per pupil | £82k £629 per pupil |
| 2022-23 | 141.0 | £1.2m £8,788 per pupil | £1.3m £8,882 per pupil | -£13k -£94 per pupil | £48k £342 per pupil |
| 2021-22 | 158.0 | £1.3m £8,424 per pupil | £1.4m £8,595 per pupil | -£27k -£171 per pupil | £54k £341 per pupil |
| 2020-21 | 172.0 | £1.3m £7,844 per pupil | £1.3m £7,360 per pupil | +£83k +£484 per pupil | £81k £470 per pupil |
| 2019-20 | 187.0 | £1.3m £6,753 per pupil | £1.3m £7,118 per pupil | -£68k -£365 per pupil | -£2k -£13 per pupil |
| 2018-19 | 178.0 | £1.3m £7,453 per pupil | £1.3m £7,399 per pupil | +£10k +£55 per pupil | £66k £370 per pupil |
Where the money comes from
| Line | 2025-26 | Trend per pupil | Change per pupil since 2018-19 | Similar schools (median per pupil) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total income | £1.3m £13,921 per pupil | +87% +42% real | £12k | |
| Government funding | £1.3m £13,793 per pupil | +94% +48% real | £12k | |
| Special needs (SEN) funding | £47k £492 per pupil | +94% +48% real | £770 | |
| Pupil premium | £85k £879 per pupil | +60% +22% real | £760 | |
| Money the school raised itself | £12k £128 per pupil | -64% -73% real | £530 | |
| Donations (day-to-day) | £2k £22 per pupil | +0% -21% real | £29 | |
| Donations for buildings and equipment | £0 £0 per pupil | £0 | ||
| Facilities and services | £8k £87 per pupil | -60% -69% real | £357 | |
| Catering income | £315 £3 per pupil | -97% -98% real | £4 | |
| Other DfE grants | £65k £670 per pupil | +227% +150% real | £298 |
Other DfE grants is a container line. It includes the grants that cover higher employer pension and National Insurance costs, which cannot be separated out, so no figure is shown for them on their own. Not every rise in a school's income is extra spending power. When the government raised what schools pay as employers into staff pensions and National Insurance, it gave schools grants to cover the bill. The IFS describes this as extra money to pay for extra outgoings, with no change in real resources. About £2.3 billion of the growth in school funding between 2019–20 and 2025–26 was this kind of grant. So when a school's income jumps, check whether its staff costs jumped by the same amount: the money may simply have passed through. (IFS, p. 50)
Where it goes
| Line | 2025-26 | Trend per pupil | Change per pupil since 2018-19 | Similar schools (median per pupil) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total spending | £1.3m £13,870 per pupil | +87% +43% real | £13k | |
| Teachers | £660k £6,836 per pupil | +123% +70% real | £5k | |
| Supply staff | £246k £2,552 per pupil | +391% +275% real | £480 | |
| Support staff | £46k £474 per pupil | -59% -69% real | £2k | |
| Office and admin staff | £51k £525 per pupil | +62% +23% real | £842 | |
| Premises staff | £0 £0 per pupil | £408 | ||
| Catering staff | £0 £0 per pupil | £0 | ||
| Other staff costs | £6k £66 per pupil | -43% -56% real | £331 | |
| All staff costs | £1.0m £10,454 per pupil | +101% +53% real | £10k | |
| Premises | £42k £440 per pupil | +12% -14% real | £832 | |
| Energy | £23k £238 per pupil | +125% +70% real | £220 | |
| Rates, water and other building costs | £163k £1,688 per pupil | +224% +147% real | £1k | |
| Catering | £95k £987 per pupil | +218% +143% real | £628 | |
| Learning resources | £51k £532 per pupil | +87% +43% real | £447 | |
| Supplies and services | £124k £1,284 per pupil | +12% -14% real | £1k | |
| Bought-in services | £49k £512 per pupil | -19% -38% real | £789 |
Staff costs were 75% of this school's spending in 2025-26. Across England, over 80% of schools' costs are staff costs. (IFS, p. 63)
In 2025-26 prices, this school spent £1.3m £13,870 per pupil in 2025-26. Across England, primary schools are expected to spend about £7,000 per pupil in 2025–26. (IFS, p. 7)
Pupils by year
- 2018-19 178.0
- 2019-20 187.0
- 2020-21 172.0
- 2021-22 158.0
- 2022-23 141.0
- 2023-24 130.0
- 2024-25 134.0
- 2025-26 96.5
Pupil numbers fell from 178.0 to 96.5 (46% fewer) over the years shown.
Schools are mostly funded per pupil, so fewer pupils means less money. Costs do not fall in step: a class with a few fewer pupils still needs a teacher. Primary schools in England have already lost about 100,000 pupils (3%) between 2019–20 and 2024–25, and are expected to lose over 300,000 more (about 8%) by 2030–31. Secondary numbers are expected to start falling from about 2026–27. The IFS points out that money is only saved if schools actually reduce what they spend, such as staff or the number of schools. That is why a well-run school with falling numbers can still find its budget under pressure. (IFS, pp. 19, 64)
Money raised by parents
- FRIENDS OF ST JOHN'S SCHOOL (charity 273620) Had a registered PTA until 2011. This charity was matched with lower confidence, so check with the school that it is theirs.
Each return is placed in the school year that holds the end of the charity's financial year, and per-pupil figures use that year's pupils. A parents' association's money is its own and isn't in the school's accounts above. Money a parents' association gives the school can also appear in the school's own accounts as donations, so the two can overlap. They are shown separately here and never added together.
Across England, the typical registered parents' association raised £50 per pupil in 2025-26.
Intake and area
- 46% of pupils eligible for free school meals (median school: council 45%, England 22%)
Context, not a judgement: schools with different intakes get different funding and face different costs.
How my school's money is split
For pupils: out of every pound the school spent in 2025-26, here is roughly where it went, with the amount for each pupil.
- Teachers £906k £9,389 per pupil
- Support staff £46k £474 per pupil
- Buildings and grounds £42k £440 per pupil
- Energy £23k £238 per pupil
- Learning resources £51k £532 per pupil
- Everything else £270k £2,797 per pupil
National context
- In 2024–25 and 2025–26, mainstream school funding per pupil grew by 2 percentage points less than school costs nationally. (IFS, p. 62)
- Primary pupil numbers in England are expected to fall by over 300,000 (about 8%) between 2024–25 and 2030–31. (IFS, p. 19)
- Council-run primary schools spend about £400 (6%) more per pupil than primary academies, and council-run secondaries about £300 (4%) more, partly because trusts spend some money centrally. (IFS, p. 56)
- Pupil premium is £1,515 a year per eligible primary pupil and £1,075 per eligible secondary pupil, over 16% lower in real terms than in 2015–16. (IFS, p. 51)
- Mainstream schools are expected to fund the first £6,000 a year of extra support for a pupil with special needs from their own budget. (IFS, p. 46)
Questions to ask the school
Useful for parents, governors and PTFA committees.
- What is the plan to get St John the Divine Church of England Primary School back into balance, and how many years will it take? Has the council agreed it?
- How many pupils does St John the Divine Church of England Primary School expect in each year group over the next three years? Why ask: Primary pupil numbers in England are expected to fall by over 300,000 (about 8%) by 2030–31. (IFS, p. 19)
- How much does the PTA (or friends' association) raise each year, and what does it pay for?
- What is driving the deficit: falling pupil numbers, staff costs, special needs support, or something else? Why ask: Over 80% of schools' costs are staff costs. (IFS, p. 63)
- Is the school planning to merge classes, share staff or work more closely with another school?
- How does St John the Divine Church of England Primary School's spending per pupil compare with similar schools, and why? Why ask: Nationally, primaries spend about £7,000 and secondaries about £7,800 per pupil in 2025–26. (IFS, p. 7)
- Will the recovery plan change class sizes, the subjects on offer or the number of support staff?
- Has the council talked about reducing places, merging or closing schools in this area? Why ask: The IFS notes savings from falling numbers only come if staff or the number of schools are reduced. (IFS, p. 64)
Check at source
Every figure here comes from the school's published return. Check it on the DfE benchmarking page for this school, and see how the figures are worked out.
Similar schools: the closest in phase, size and share of pupils on free school meals.
- Hope Community School
- St Joseph's Catholic Primary School
- Roehampton Church Forest Primary School
- Peter Hills with St Mary's and St Paul's CofE Primary School
- St Barnabas' CofE Primary School
Admissions and catchments for St John the Divine Church of England Primary School on Schools in Reach · All Lambeth school finances · Schools in Vauxhall and Camberwell Green
- DfE Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool data: CFR returns for council-run schools (April to March) and academy accounts returns (September to August), Open Government Licence v3.0
- Get Information about Schools, Open Government Licence v3.0
- Charity Commission register, Open Government Licence v3.0
- National context: IFS, Annual report on education spending in England: 2025–26 (January 2026); IFS figures are in 2025-26 prices (HM Treasury GDP deflator, November 2025)
- Real-terms figures on this page: in 2025-26 prices (HM Treasury GDP deflator, October 2026)