St Mary's Church of England Primary School: school finances
Latest full year 2025-26, as a council-run school (CFR return, April to March). Birmingham · Primary · Voluntary aided school
Large reserves
Holds £282k £682 per pupil in reserve, 10% of a year's income.
Status by year
- 2018-19 Healthy reserve between 3% and 8% of a year's income
- 2019-20 Healthy same as the year before
- 2020-21 Large reserves reserve 8% or more of a year's income
- 2021-22 Healthy reserve between 3% and 8% of a year's income
- 2022-23 Heading for deficit spending more than it received, reserve running down
- 2023-24 Heading for deficit same as the year before
- 2024-25 Healthy reserve between 3% and 8% of a year's income
- 2025-26 Large reserves reserve 8% or more of a year's income
Government funding vs spending per pupil
In 2025-26, government funding was £2.8m £6,784 per pupil and spending £2.8m £6,737 per pupil. Government funding was £19k £47 per pupil more than spending.
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 | 413.0 | £2.9m £7,031 per pupil | £2.8m £6,737 per pupil | +£121k +£294 per pupil | £282k £682 per pupil |
| 2024-25 | 413.0 | £2.7m £6,596 per pupil | £2.6m £6,321 per pupil | +£114k +£275 per pupil | £161k £389 per pupil |
| 2023-24 | 408.0 | £2.6m £6,390 per pupil | £2.6m £6,402 per pupil | -£5k -£11 per pupil | £47k £115 per pupil |
| 2022-23 | 417.0 | £2.4m £5,762 per pupil | £2.5m £5,896 per pupil | -£56k -£135 per pupil | £52k £124 per pupil |
| 2021-22 | 416.0 | £2.2m £5,319 per pupil | £2.3m £5,597 per pupil | -£116k -£278 per pupil | £108k £259 per pupil |
| 2020-21 | 415.0 | £2.1m £5,001 per pupil | £2.0m £4,862 per pupil | +£58k +£139 per pupil | £223k £539 per pupil |
| 2019-20 | 418.0 | £2.1m £5,013 per pupil | £2.0m £4,856 per pupil | +£66k +£157 per pupil | £166k £397 per pupil |
| 2018-19 | 418.0 | £2.0m £4,758 per pupil | £1.9m £4,647 per pupil | +£46k +£111 per pupil | £100k £240 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 | £2.9m £7,031 per pupil | +48% +13% real | £7k | |
| Government funding | £2.8m £6,784 per pupil | +50% +14% real | £7k | |
| Special needs (SEN) funding | £276k £667 per pupil | +826% +610% real | £278 | |
| Pupil premium | £162k £392 per pupil | +31% -0% real | £399 | |
| Money the school raised itself | £102k £247 per pupil | +6% -19% real | £372 | |
| Donations (day-to-day) | £7k £16 per pupil | £7 | ||
| Donations for buildings and equipment | £0 £0 per pupil | £0 | ||
| Facilities and services | £11k £25 per pupil | -85% -89% real | £104 | |
| Catering income | £35k £85 per pupil | £69 | ||
| Other DfE grants | £88k £214 per pupil | +6% -19% real | £208 |
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 | £2.8m £6,737 per pupil | +45% +11% real | £7k | |
| Teachers | £1.2m £2,997 per pupil | +41% +8% real | £3k | |
| Supply staff | £447k £1,083 per pupil | +280% +190% real | £124 | |
| Support staff | £306k £740 per pupil | +24% -5% real | £1k | |
| Office and admin staff | £184k £444 per pupil | +18% -10% real | £340 | |
| Premises staff | £50k £120 per pupil | +76% +35% real | £229 | |
| Catering staff | £60k £146 per pupil | +54% +17% real | £0 | |
| Other staff costs | £85k £205 per pupil | +8% -18% real | £210 | |
| All staff costs | £2.3m £5,469 per pupil | +53% +17% real | £5k | |
| Premises | £93k £225 per pupil | +43% +9% real | £360 | |
| Energy | £23k £55 per pupil | +20% -10% real | £88 | |
| Rates, water and other building costs | £172k £417 per pupil | +15% -12% real | £552 | |
| Catering | £107k £259 per pupil | +26% -3% real | £282 | |
| Learning resources | £85k £205 per pupil | +17% -11% real | £273 | |
| Supplies and services | £256k £620 per pupil | +12% -15% real | £642 | |
| Bought-in services | £134k £325 per pupil | +7% -19% real | £297 |
Staff costs were 81% 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 £2.8m £6,737 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
- 2018-19 418.0
- 2019-20 418.0
- 2020-21 415.0
- 2021-22 416.0
- 2022-23 417.0
- 2023-24 408.0
- 2024-25 413.0
- 2025-26 413.0
Money raised by parents
No registered parents' association found for St Mary's Church of England Primary School. 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
- 26% of pupils eligible for free school meals (median school: council 52%, England 22%)
- Neighbourhood deprivation decile 5 of 10 (1 = most deprived)
- Income deprivation affecting children: decile 6 of 10 (1 = most deprived)
- 36% of adults nearby hold a degree-level qualification
- 52% of nearby homes are owner-occupied
- 19% of nearby homes are social rented
Intake band 3 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 £4,079 per pupil
- Support staff £306k £740 per pupil
- Buildings and grounds £93k £225 per pupil
- Energy £23k £55 per pupil
- Learning resources £85k £205 per pupil
- Everything else £592k £1,433 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 Mary's Church of England Primary School's £282k £682 per pupil reserve being kept for, and is there a timetable to spend it?
- How many pupils at St Mary's Church of England Primary School have an EHCP or need extra support, and how is support above the first £6,000 a year funded? Why ask: Mainstream schools are expected to fund the first £6,000 a year per pupil from their core budget. (IFS, p. 46)
- 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?
- Does the council's top-up money arrive on time and cover what the support actually costs?
- How does St Mary's 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)
- Could some be spent on current pupils without putting future years at risk?
- Is the council's high needs budget in deficit, and could that affect the school's top-ups? Why ask: Councils' accumulated high needs deficits are forecast to reach £14 billion by 2028. Statutory override: since 2020-21 DSG deficits are held in a separate unusable reserve rather than met from council general funds. The override runs to the end of 2027-28. Under the February 2026 approach, the High Needs Stability Grant pays 90% of each LA's eligible DSG deficit at 31 March 2026 from autumn 2026, so 2026-27 balances will fall sharply. (IFS, p. 61)
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.
- Holy Family Catholic Primary School - Part of the Learning Federation Partnership of Schools
- St Paul's CofE Primary School
- West Town Primary Academy
- Sturry Church of England Primary School
- Whitnash Primary School
Admissions and catchments for St Mary's Church of England Primary School on Schools in Reach · All Birmingham school finances · Schools in Birmingham Selly Oak
- 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)