St Michael's Church of England Primary School, Alkrington: school finances
Latest full year 2025-26, as a council-run school (CFR return, April to March). Rochdale · Primary · Voluntary aided school
Heading for deficit
Has spent more than it received for 5 years running; at that rate its £19k £92 per pupil reserve runs out in about 1 year.
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 Large reserves reserve 8% or more of a year's income
- 2020-21 Large reserves same as the year before
- 2021-22 Large reserves same as the year before
- 2022-23 Healthy reserve between 3% and 8% of a year's income
- 2023-24 Heading for deficit spending more than it received, reserve running down
- 2024-25 Heading for deficit same as the year before
- 2025-26 Heading for deficit same as the year before
Government funding vs spending per pupil
In 2025-26, government funding was £1.2m £5,862 per pupil and spending £1.4m £6,726 per pupil. Spending was £177k £864 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 | 205.0 | £1.4m £6,708 per pupil | £1.4m £6,726 per pupil | -£4k -£18 per pupil | £19k £92 per pupil |
| 2024-25 | 205.0 | £1.3m £6,411 per pupil | £1.3m £6,516 per pupil | -£22k -£106 per pupil | £22k £110 per pupil |
| 2023-24 | 211.0 | £1.3m £6,049 per pupil | £1.3m £6,119 per pupil | -£15k -£70 per pupil | £44k £209 per pupil |
| 2022-23 | 213.0 | £1.2m £5,478 per pupil | £1.2m £5,639 per pupil | -£34k -£161 per pupil | £59k £277 per pupil |
| 2021-22 | 208.0 | £1.1m £5,333 per pupil | £1.1m £5,456 per pupil | -£26k -£123 per pupil | £93k £448 per pupil |
| 2020-21 | 207.0 | £1.1m £5,267 per pupil | £1.1m £5,240 per pupil | +£6k +£27 per pupil | £119k £574 per pupil |
| 2019-20 | 214.0 | £1.1m £5,092 per pupil | £1.0m £4,848 per pupil | +£52k +£244 per pupil | £113k £529 per pupil |
| 2018-19 | 212.0 | £1.0m £4,826 per pupil | £1.0m £4,771 per pupil | +£12k +£55 per pupil | £61k £288 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 | £1.4m £6,708 per pupil | +39% +6% real | £7k | |
| Government funding | £1.2m £5,862 per pupil | +32% +1% real | £6k | |
| Special needs (SEN) funding | £49k £238 per pupil | +14% -13% real | £251 | |
| Pupil premium | £17k £84 per pupil | -35% -50% real | £128 | |
| Money the school raised itself | £175k £853 per pupil | +50% +14% real | £462 | |
| Donations (day-to-day) | £14k £66 per pupil | -61% -71% real | £36 | |
| Donations for buildings and equipment | £0 £0 per pupil | £0 | ||
| Facilities and services | £104k £508 per pupil | +91% +46% real | £252 | |
| Catering income | £24k £118 per pupil | +44% +10% real | £85 | |
| Other DfE grants | £88k £431 per pupil | +68% +28% real | £277 |
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 | £1.4m £6,726 per pupil | +41% +8% real | £6k | |
| Teachers | £650k £3,171 per pupil | +60% +22% real | £3k | |
| Supply staff | £0 £0 per pupil | -100% -100% real | £45 | |
| Support staff | £339k £1,652 per pupil | +92% +47% real | £1k | |
| Office and admin staff | £47k £230 per pupil | +37% +4% real | £343 | |
| Premises staff | £0 £0 per pupil | -100% -100% real | £101 | |
| Catering staff | £0 £0 per pupil | £0 | ||
| Other staff costs | £51k £249 per pupil | -31% -47% real | £213 | |
| All staff costs | £1.1m £5,324 per pupil | +49% +14% real | £5k | |
| Premises | £64k £313 per pupil | +11% -15% real | £291 | |
| Energy | £23k £114 per pupil | +78% +36% real | £85 | |
| Rates, water and other building costs | £115k £563 per pupil | +24% -6% real | £577 | |
| Catering | £57k £278 per pupil | -5% -27% real | £319 | |
| Learning resources | £60k £290 per pupil | +56% +19% real | £332 | |
| Supplies and services | £105k £510 per pupil | +13% -14% real | £653 | |
| Bought-in services | £35k £170 per pupil | -20% -39% real | £200 |
Staff costs were 79% 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 £1.4m £6,726 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
- 2018-19 212.0
- 2019-20 214.0
- 2020-21 207.0
- 2021-22 208.0
- 2022-23 213.0
- 2023-24 211.0
- 2024-25 205.0
- 2025-26 205.0
Money raised by parents
| School year | Raised | Spent |
|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 year to June 2025 | £4k £21 per pupil | £4k £19 per pupil |
| 2024-25 year to June 2024 | £5k £22 per pupil | £153 £1 per pupil |
| 2023-24 year to June 2023 | £3k £13 per pupil | £140 £1 per pupil |
| 2022-23 year to June 2022 | £1k £5 per pupil | £782 £4 per pupil |
| 2021-22 year to June 2021 | £4k £20 per pupil | £3k £13 per pupil |
- ST MICHAEL'S ALKRINGTON PARENT, TEACHERS AND FRIENDS ASSOCIATION (charity 1130140) Latest return: £4k £21 per pupil in the year to June 2025.
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
- 8% of pupils eligible for free school meals (median school: council 30%, England 22%)
- Neighbourhood deprivation decile 9 of 10 (1 = most deprived)
- Income deprivation affecting children: decile 10 of 10 (1 = most deprived)
- 37% of adults nearby hold a degree-level qualification
- 90% of nearby homes are owner-occupied
- 1% of nearby homes are social rented
Intake band 1 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 £650k £3,171 per pupil
- Support staff £339k £1,652 per pupil
- Buildings and grounds £64k £313 per pupil
- Energy £23k £114 per pupil
- Learning resources £60k £290 per pupil
- Everything else £243k £1,185 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.
- St Michael's Church of England Primary School, Alkrington has spent more than it received for 5 years. Is that planned, and what does the school expect its reserve to be in three years' time?
- How much does the PTA (or friends' association) raise each year, and what does it pay for?
- What does the budget assume about pay rises and pupil numbers over the next three years? Why ask: The IFS projects school costs could grow 0.5 to 1 percentage points a year faster than funding to 2028–29. (IFS, p. 11)
- How does St Michael's Church of England Primary School, Alkrington'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)
- If the gap does not close, what would the school cut first?
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.
- St Joseph the Worker Catholic Primary School
- Baxenden St John's Church of England Primary School
- Charles Kingsley's Church of England Primary School
- Our Lady Star of the Sea Catholic Primary School
- St John Bosco Catholic Primary School
Admissions and catchments for St Michael's Church of England Primary School, Alkrington on Schools in Reach · All Rochdale school finances · Schools in Blackley and Middleton South
- 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)