St James Church of England Primary School, Handsworth: school finances
Latest full year 2025-26, as a council-run school (CFR return, April to March). Birmingham · Primary · Voluntary controlled school
Large reserves
Holds £459k £1,122 per pupil in reserve, 14% of a year's income. It has been drawing on it for 2 years.
Status by year
- 2018-19 Large reserves reserve 8% or more of a year's income
- 2019-20 Large reserves same as the year before
- 2020-21 Large reserves same as the year before
- 2021-22 Large reserves same as the year before
- 2022-23 Large reserves same as the year before
- 2023-24 Large reserves same as the year before
- 2024-25 Large reserves same as the year before
- 2025-26 Large reserves same as the year before
Government funding vs spending per pupil
In 2025-26, government funding was £3.2m £7,856 per pupil and spending £3.3m £8,183 per pupil. Spending was £133k £326 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 | 409.0 | £3.3m £7,983 per pupil | £3.3m £8,183 per pupil | -£82k -£200 per pupil | £459k £1,122 per pupil |
| 2024-25 | 418.0 | £3.1m £7,504 per pupil | £3.2m £7,652 per pupil | -£62k -£149 per pupil | £540k £1,293 per pupil |
| 2023-24 | 412.0 | £3.0m £7,275 per pupil | £2.8m £6,837 per pupil | +£180k +£438 per pupil | £603k £1,463 per pupil |
| 2022-23 | 418.0 | £2.7m £6,562 per pupil | £2.6m £6,273 per pupil | +£121k +£289 per pupil | £422k £1,010 per pupil |
| 2021-22 | 420.0 | £2.4m £5,769 per pupil | £2.5m £5,978 per pupil | -£88k -£209 per pupil | £302k £718 per pupil |
| 2020-21 | 416.0 | £2.3m £5,567 per pupil | £2.3m £5,470 per pupil | +£41k +£97 per pupil | £390k £937 per pupil |
| 2019-20 | 420.0 | £2.3m £5,584 per pupil | £2.3m £5,384 per pupil | +£84k +£199 per pupil | £349k £831 per pupil |
| 2018-19 | 421.5 | £2.3m £5,381 per pupil | £2.2m £5,237 per pupil | +£61k +£145 per pupil | £265k £630 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 | £3.3m £7,983 per pupil | +48% +13% real | £8k | |
| Government funding | £3.2m £7,856 per pupil | +46% +12% real | £8k | |
| Special needs (SEN) funding | £188k £460 per pupil | +1022% +768% real | £414 | |
| Pupil premium | £294k £719 per pupil | +33% +2% real | £768 | |
| Money the school raised itself | £52k £127 per pupil | +182% +119% real | £133 | |
| Donations (day-to-day) | £0 £0 per pupil recorded | £9 | ||
| Donations for buildings and equipment | £0 £0 per pupil | £0 | ||
| Facilities and services | £28k £68 per pupil | +240% +162% real | £42 | |
| Catering income | £24k £59 per pupil | £37 | ||
| Other DfE grants | £69k £169 per pupil | -10% -31% real | £177 |
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 | £3.3m £8,183 per pupil | +56% +19% real | £8k | |
| Teachers | £1.5m £3,578 per pupil | +67% +27% real | £4k | |
| Supply staff | £204k £499 per pupil | +235% +156% real | £106 | |
| Support staff | £664k £1,622 per pupil | +63% +24% real | £2k | |
| Office and admin staff | £187k £457 per pupil | +5% -20% real | £378 | |
| Premises staff | £0 £0 per pupil | £147 | ||
| Catering staff | £0 £0 per pupil | £3 | ||
| Other staff costs | £105k £257 per pupil | +21% -7% real | £263 | |
| All staff costs | £2.6m £6,415 per pupil | +63% +24% real | £6k | |
| Premises | £34k £84 per pupil | +223% +140% real | £399 | |
| Energy | £14k £34 per pupil | -50% -62% real | £102 | |
| Rates, water and other building costs | £274k £671 per pupil | +136% +80% real | £724 | |
| Catering | £168k £412 per pupil | +10200% +6767% real | £400 | |
| Learning resources | £90k £221 per pupil | -24% -42% real | £287 | |
| Supplies and services | £411k £1,005 per pupil | +2% -22% real | £820 | |
| Bought-in services | £296k £723 per pupil | +14% -13% real | £297 |
Staff costs were 78% 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 £3.3m £8,183 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
- 2018-19 421.5
- 2019-20 420.0
- 2020-21 416.0
- 2021-22 420.0
- 2022-23 418.0
- 2023-24 412.0
- 2024-25 418.0
- 2025-26 409.0
Money raised by parents
No registered parents' association found for St James Church of England Primary School, Handsworth. Charities with an income of £5,000 or less a year don't have to register with the Charity Commission, so many schools have an active PTA or friends' group that isn't on the register.
Across England, the typical registered parents' association raised £50 per pupil in 2025-26.
Intake and area
- 53% of pupils eligible for free school meals (median school: council 52%, England 22%)
- Neighbourhood deprivation decile 1 of 10 (1 = most deprived)
- Income deprivation affecting children: decile 1 of 10 (1 = most deprived)
- 24% of adults nearby hold a degree-level qualification
- 42% of nearby homes are owner-occupied
- 28% of nearby homes are social rented
Intake band 5 of 5 nationally, combining free-school-meal eligibility and the deprivation of the school's neighbourhood (1 = least disadvantaged, 5 = most).
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 £1.7m £4,078 per pupil
- Support staff £664k £1,622 per pupil
- Buildings and grounds £34k £84 per pupil
- Energy £14k £34 per pupil
- Learning resources £90k £221 per pupil
- Everything else £877k £2,144 per pupil
National context
- 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 St James Church of England Primary School, Handsworth's £459k £1,122 per pupil reserve being kept for, and is there a timetable to spend it?
- How much does the PTA (or friends' association) raise each year, and what does it pay for?
- Is any of it already committed, for example to building work or to cover a planned overspend?
- How does St James Church of England Primary School, Handsworth'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)
- Could some be spent on current pupils without putting future years at risk?
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.
- Bedford Primary School
- James Watt Primary School
- St Luke's CofE Primary School
- West Heath Primary School
- Pinfold Street Primary School
Admissions and catchments for St James Church of England Primary School, Handsworth on Schools in Reach · All Birmingham school finances · Schools in Birmingham Perry Barr
- 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
- 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)