Cookridge Holy Trinity Church of England Primary School: school finances
Latest full year 2025-26, as a council-run school (CFR return, April to March). Leeds · Primary · Voluntary aided school
Healthy
Holds £86k £225 per pupil in reserve, 3% of a year's income.
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 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 Healthy reserve between 3% and 8% of a year's income
- 2025-26 Healthy same as the year before
Government funding vs spending per pupil
In 2025-26, government funding was £2.4m £6,283 per pupil and spending £2.7m £7,144 per pupil. Spending was £328k £860 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 | 381.0 | £2.7m £7,086 per pupil | £2.7m £7,144 per pupil | -£22k -£58 per pupil | £86k £225 per pupil |
| 2024-25 | 399.0 | £2.7m £6,688 per pupil | £2.6m £6,543 per pupil | +£58k +£145 per pupil | £108k £270 per pupil |
| 2023-24 | 411.0 | £2.4m £5,916 per pupil | £2.5m £6,102 per pupil | -£76k -£185 per pupil | £50k £121 per pupil |
| 2022-23 | 414.0 | £2.2m £5,313 per pupil | £2.3m £5,561 per pupil | -£103k -£248 per pupil | £126k £304 per pupil |
| 2021-22 | 406.0 | £2.1m £5,164 per pupil | £2.1m £5,161 per pupil | +£1k +£3 per pupil | £228k £563 per pupil |
| 2020-21 | 413.0 | £1.9m £4,512 per pupil | £1.9m £4,510 per pupil | +£730 +£2 per pupil | £227k £550 per pupil |
| 2019-20 | 418.0 | £1.9m £4,645 per pupil | £2.0m £4,725 per pupil | -£33k -£80 per pupil | £226k £542 per pupil |
| 2018-19 | 417.0 | £1.9m £4,498 per pupil | £1.8m £4,424 per pupil | +£31k +£74 per pupil | £260k £623 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 | £2.7m £7,086 per pupil | +58% +20% real | £7k | |
| Government funding | £2.4m £6,283 per pupil | +61% +23% real | £6k | |
| Special needs (SEN) funding | £140k £366 per pupil | +341% +236% real | £293 | |
| Pupil premium | £64k £168 per pupil | +8% -18% real | £169 | |
| Money the school raised itself | £327k £859 per pupil | +40% +7% real | £484 | |
| Donations (day-to-day) | £0 £0 per pupil recorded | -100% -100% real | £37 | |
| Donations for buildings and equipment | £0 £0 per pupil | £0 | ||
| Facilities and services | £239k £627 per pupil | +37% +4% real | £199 | |
| Catering income | £49k £129 per pupil | +72% +32% real | £128 | |
| Other DfE grants | £87k £229 per pupil | +4% -20% real | £253 |
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 | £2.7m £7,144 per pupil | +61% +23% real | £7k | |
| Teachers | £1.3m £3,339 per pupil | +80% +37% real | £3k | |
| Supply staff | £20k £52 per pupil | -39% -53% real | £63 | |
| Support staff | £549k £1,440 per pupil | +74% +33% real | £1k | |
| Office and admin staff | £109k £287 per pupil | +84% +41% real | £307 | |
| Premises staff | £34k £90 per pupil | +53% +15% real | £183 | |
| Catering staff | £0 £0 per pupil | -100% -100% real | £0 | |
| Other staff costs | £40k £106 per pupil | -10% -31% real | £188 | |
| All staff costs | £2.0m £5,309 per pupil | +73% +32% real | £5k | |
| Premises | £106k £279 per pupil | +11% -15% real | £397 | |
| Energy | £41k £109 per pupil | +137% +82% real | £90 | |
| Rates, water and other building costs | £219k £575 per pupil | +42% +8% real | £597 | |
| Catering | £134k £353 per pupil | +32% +1% real | £332 | |
| Learning resources | £146k £383 per pupil | +47% +12% real | £302 | |
| Supplies and services | £358k £939 per pupil | +61% +23% real | £511 | |
| Bought-in services | £202k £531 per pupil | +73% +32% real | £133 |
Staff costs were 74% 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 £2.7m £7,144 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
- 2018-19 417.0
- 2019-20 418.0
- 2020-21 413.0
- 2021-22 406.0
- 2022-23 414.0
- 2023-24 411.0
- 2024-25 399.0
- 2025-26 381.0
Pupil numbers fell from 417.0 to 381.0 (9% 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
| School year | Raised | Spent |
|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 year to August 2025 | £12k £32 per pupil | £4k £10 per pupil |
| 2024-25 year to August 2024 | £12k £30 per pupil | £3k £7 per pupil |
| 2023-24 year to August 2023 | £3k £8 per pupil | £6k £14 per pupil |
| 2022-23 year to August 2022 | £1k £3 per pupil | £2k £4 per pupil |
| 2021-22 year to August 2021 | £833 £2 per pupil | £2k £4 per pupil |
- HOLY TRINITY C OF E PRIMARY SCHOOL PTA (charity 1127077) Latest return: £12k £32 per pupil in the year to August 2025. It reports 25 volunteers. Annual return due 30 June 2026.
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
- 10% of pupils eligible for free school meals (median school: council 23%, England 22%)
- Neighbourhood deprivation decile 10 of 10 (1 = most deprived)
- Income deprivation affecting children: decile 10 of 10 (1 = most deprived)
- 40% of adults nearby hold a degree-level qualification
- 93% of nearby homes are owner-occupied
- 2% 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 £1.3m £3,391 per pupil
- Support staff £549k £1,440 per pupil
- Buildings and grounds £106k £279 per pupil
- Energy £41k £109 per pupil
- Learning resources £146k £383 per pupil
- Everything else £587k £1,542 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 many pupils does Cookridge Holy Trinity 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?
- Is the school planning to merge classes, share staff or work more closely with another school?
- How does Cookridge Holy Trinity 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)
- 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)
- Could spare space be let out or shared to bring in income?
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 Winifred's RC Primary School, a Voluntary Academy
- Orton Wistow Primary School
- Alban City School
- Hadrian Academy
- St Margaret Clitherow Catholic Primary School
Admissions and catchments for Cookridge Holy Trinity Church of England Primary School on Schools in Reach · All Leeds school finances · Schools in Leeds North West
- 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)