Christ Church, Church of England Junior School, Downend: school finances
Latest full year 2025-26, as a council-run school (CFR return, April to March). South Gloucestershire · Primary · Voluntary controlled school
Tight
Holds £33k £110 per pupil in reserve, under 3% of a year's income: little room for surprises.
Status by year
- 2018-19 Tight reserve under 3% of a year's income
- 2019-20 Heading for deficit spending more than it received, reserve running down
- 2020-21 Healthy reserve between 3% and 8% of a year's income
- 2021-22 Tight reserve under 3% of a year's income
- 2022-23 Tight same as the year before
- 2023-24 Heading for deficit spending more than it received, reserve running down
- 2024-25 In deficit reserve below zero
- 2025-26 Tight reserve under 3% of a year's income
Government funding vs spending per pupil
In 2025-26, government funding was £1.7m £5,791 per pupil and spending £1.9m £6,155 per pupil. Spending was £109k £364 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 | 301.0 | £1.9m £6,277 per pupil | £1.9m £6,155 per pupil | +£37k +£122 per pupil | £33k £110 per pupil |
| 2024-25 | 300.0 | £1.8m £5,869 per pupil | £1.8m £5,943 per pupil | -£22k -£74 per pupil | -£3k -£11 per pupil |
| 2023-24 | 299.0 | £1.7m £5,722 per pupil | £1.7m £5,754 per pupil | -£10k -£32 per pupil | £19k £63 per pupil |
| 2022-23 | 288.0 | £1.7m £5,888 per pupil | £1.7m £5,896 per pupil | -£2k -£8 per pupil | £28k £99 per pupil |
| 2021-22 | 301.0 | £1.6m £5,243 per pupil | £1.6m £5,294 per pupil | -£15k -£51 per pupil | £31k £102 per pupil |
| 2020-21 | 301.0 | £1.4m £4,672 per pupil | £1.4m £4,547 per pupil | +£38k +£125 per pupil | £46k £153 per pupil |
| 2019-20 | 298.0 | £1.3m £4,495 per pupil | £1.3m £4,510 per pupil | -£4k -£14 per pupil | £8k £28 per pupil |
| 2018-19 | 289.0 | £1.2m £4,231 per pupil | £1.3m £4,366 per pupil | -£39k -£135 per pupil | £13k £44 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 | £1.9m £6,277 per pupil | +48% +13% real | £7k | |
| Government funding | £1.7m £5,791 per pupil | +48% +13% real | £6k | |
| Special needs (SEN) funding | £94k £313 per pupil | +264% +179% real | £287 | |
| Pupil premium | £48k £161 per pupil | -17% -37% real | £169 | |
| Money the school raised itself | £146k £485 per pupil | +21% -8% real | £503 | |
| Donations (day-to-day) | £23k £78 per pupil | -13% -34% real | £20 | |
| Donations for buildings and equipment | £0 £0 per pupil | £0 | ||
| Facilities and services | £46k £153 per pupil | +233% +155% real | £214 | |
| Catering income | £0 £0 per pupil | -100% -100% real | £102 | |
| Other DfE grants | £22k £72 per pupil | +6% -20% real | £275 |
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 | £1.9m £6,155 per pupil | +41% +8% real | £7k | |
| Teachers | £906k £3,010 per pupil | +51% +15% real | £3k | |
| Supply staff | £19k £64 per pupil | -23% -41% real | £77 | |
| Support staff | £404k £1,343 per pupil | +84% +41% real | £1k | |
| Office and admin staff | £121k £403 per pupil | +96% +49% real | £288 | |
| Premises staff | £62k £205 per pupil | +236% +156% real | £124 | |
| Catering staff | £3 £0 per pupil | £0 | ||
| Other staff costs | £57k £188 per pupil | +47% +12% real | £269 | |
| All staff costs | £1.5m £5,070 per pupil | +59% +21% real | £5k | |
| Premises | £73k £243 per pupil | -7% -29% real | £310 | |
| Energy | £19k £62 per pupil | +38% +5% real | £88 | |
| Rates, water and other building costs | £105k £350 per pupil | -6% -29% real | £579 | |
| Catering | £28k £92 per pupil | -44% -57% real | £312 | |
| Learning resources | £87k £290 per pupil | +46% +12% real | £275 | |
| Supplies and services | £148k £491 per pupil | -9% -31% real | £547 | |
| Bought-in services | £47k £157 per pupil | -44% -57% real | £157 |
Staff costs were 82% 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 £1.9m £6,155 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
- 2018-19 289.0
- 2019-20 298.0
- 2020-21 301.0
- 2021-22 301.0
- 2022-23 288.0
- 2023-24 299.0
- 2024-25 300.0
- 2025-26 301.0
Money raised by parents
No registered parents' association found for Christ Church, Church of England Junior School, Downend. 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
- 9% of pupils eligible for free school meals (median school: council 16%, England 22%)
- Neighbourhood deprivation decile 2 of 10 (1 = most deprived)
- Income deprivation affecting children: decile 3 of 10 (1 = most deprived)
- 28% of adults nearby hold a degree-level qualification
- 29% of nearby homes are owner-occupied
- 43% 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 £925k £3,074 per pupil
- Support staff £404k £1,343 per pupil
- Buildings and grounds £73k £243 per pupil
- Energy £19k £62 per pupil
- Learning resources £87k £290 per pupil
- Everything else £344k £1,142 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.
- With £33k £110 per pupil in reserve, what would happen if costs rose faster than expected next year? Why ask: Pay awards are set each year by the government after independent advice; the IFS says the picture is tight for schools if they follow forecast earnings growth. (IFS, p. 63)
- How much does the PTA (or friends' association) raise each year, and what does it pay for?
- Which costs does Christ Church, Church of England Junior School, Downend expect to rise most next year?
- How does Christ Church, Church of England Junior School, Downend'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)
- Is the budget relying on one-off grants or fundraising to balance?
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 Mary's CofE Primary School, Amersham
- Perryfields Junior School
- Chantlers Primary School
- Boldmere Infant School and Nursery
- Crawshawbooth Primary School
Admissions and catchments for Christ Church, Church of England Junior School, Downend on Schools in Reach · All South Gloucestershire school finances · Schools in Bristol North East
- 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)