Birkenshaw Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School: school finances
Latest full year 2025-26, as a council-run school (CFR return, April to March). Kirklees · Primary · Voluntary controlled school
Healthy
Holds £215k £477 per pupil in reserve, 7% of a year's income.
Status by year
- 2018-19 Large reserves reserve 8% or more of a year's income
- 2019-20 Healthy reserve between 3% and 8% of a year's income
- 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 Healthy same as the year before
- 2023-24 Healthy same as the year before
- 2024-25 Healthy same as the year before
- 2025-26 Healthy same as the year before
Government funding vs spending per pupil
In 2025-26, government funding was £2.7m £5,908 per pupil and spending £2.9m £6,487 per pupil. Spending was £262k £580 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 | 451.5 | £2.9m £6,480 per pupil | £2.9m £6,487 per pupil | -£3k -£7 per pupil | £215k £477 per pupil |
| 2024-25 | 453.0 | £2.8m £6,153 per pupil | £2.8m £6,121 per pupil | +£14k +£32 per pupil | £219k £483 per pupil |
| 2023-24 | 447.5 | £2.6m £5,769 per pupil | £2.5m £5,689 per pupil | +£36k +£80 per pupil | £204k £456 per pupil |
| 2022-23 | 446.5 | £2.5m £5,544 per pupil | £2.5m £5,580 per pupil | -£16k -£36 per pupil | £168k £377 per pupil |
| 2021-22 | 447.0 | £2.4m £5,332 per pupil | £2.4m £5,322 per pupil | +£5k +£10 per pupil | £184k £412 per pupil |
| 2020-21 | 455.5 | £2.2m £4,758 per pupil | £2.1m £4,698 per pupil | +£27k +£60 per pupil | £180k £395 per pupil |
| 2019-20 | 454.0 | £2.1m £4,577 per pupil | £2.1m £4,617 per pupil | -£18k -£40 per pupil | £153k £336 per pupil |
| 2018-19 | 453.0 | £2.0m £4,457 per pupil | £2.0m £4,426 per pupil | +£14k +£31 per pupil | £171k £377 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 £6,480 per pupil | +45% +11% real | £6k | |
| Government funding | £2.7m £5,908 per pupil | +43% +9% real | £6k | |
| Special needs (SEN) funding | £78k £172 per pupil | +455% +320% real | £203 | |
| Pupil premium | £57k £126 per pupil | -19% -39% real | £124 | |
| Money the school raised itself | £258k £572 per pupil | +83% +40% real | £710 | |
| Donations (day-to-day) | £27k £60 per pupil | +253% +173% real | £16 | |
| Donations for buildings and equipment | £0 £0 per pupil | £0 | ||
| Facilities and services | £188k £416 per pupil | +73% +32% real | £354 | |
| Catering income | £0 £0 per pupil | £105 | ||
| Other DfE grants | £82k £181 per pupil | -2% -25% real | £239 |
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 | £2.9m £6,487 per pupil | +47% +12% real | £7k | |
| Teachers | £1.4m £3,133 per pupil | +55% +18% real | £3k | |
| Supply staff | £15k £34 per pupil | +127% +79% real | £137 | |
| Support staff | £638k £1,413 per pupil | +70% +30% real | £1k | |
| Office and admin staff | £104k £231 per pupil | +50% +15% real | £262 | |
| Premises staff | £43k £96 per pupil | +71% +32% real | £106 | |
| Catering staff | £0 £0 per pupil | £0 | ||
| Other staff costs | £81k £179 per pupil | +48% +13% real | £197 | |
| All staff costs | £2.3m £5,104 per pupil | +59% +21% real | £5k | |
| Premises | £152k £337 per pupil | +32% +1% real | £341 | |
| Energy | £31k £70 per pupil | +46% +13% real | £83 | |
| Rates, water and other building costs | £259k £573 per pupil | +16% -12% real | £602 | |
| Catering | £110k £244 per pupil | +11% -15% real | £365 | |
| Learning resources | £125k £277 per pupil | -17% -36% real | £257 | |
| Supplies and services | £198k £439 per pupil | -5% -27% real | £502 | |
| Bought-in services | £54k £120 per pupil | +4% -20% real | £160 |
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 £2.9m £6,487 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
- 2018-19 453.0
- 2019-20 454.0
- 2020-21 455.5
- 2021-22 447.0
- 2022-23 446.5
- 2023-24 447.5
- 2024-25 453.0
- 2025-26 451.5
Money raised by parents
| School year | Raised | Spent |
|---|---|---|
| 2010-11 year to August 2010 | £53 | £28 |
| 2009-10 year to August 2009 | £61 | £31 |
| 2008-09 year to August 2008 | £85 | £25 |
- BIRKENSHAW MIDDLE SCHOOL PARENT TEACHER ASSOCIATION (charity 516978) Had a registered PTA until 2012.
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
- 6% of pupils eligible for free school meals (median school: council 26%, England 22%)
- Neighbourhood deprivation decile 9 of 10 (1 = most deprived)
- Income deprivation affecting children: decile 10 of 10 (1 = most deprived)
- 31% of adults nearby hold a degree-level qualification
- 84% of nearby homes are owner-occupied
- 3% 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 £1.4m £3,167 per pupil
- Support staff £638k £1,413 per pupil
- Buildings and grounds £152k £337 per pupil
- Energy £31k £70 per pupil
- Learning resources £125k £277 per pupil
- Everything else £552k £1,222 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.
- How much does the PTA (or friends' association) raise each year, and what does it pay for?
- How does Birkenshaw Church of England Voluntary Controlled 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)
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.
- Marine Park First School
- Pannal Primary School
- Sheredes Primary School
- Tyldesley Primary School
- Grove Road Primary School
Admissions and catchments for Birkenshaw Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School on Schools in Reach · All Kirklees school finances · Schools in Spen Valley
- 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)