Olveston Church of England Primary School: 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 £8k £42 per pupil in reserve, under 3% of a year's income: little room for surprises.
Status by year
- 2018-19 In deficit reserve below zero
- 2019-20 In deficit same as the year before
- 2020-21 In deficit same as the year before
- 2021-22 In deficit same as the year before
- 2022-23 In deficit same as the year before
- 2023-24 In deficit same as the year before
- 2024-25 In deficit same as the year before
- 2025-26 Tight reserve under 3% of a year's income
Government funding vs spending per pupil
In 2025-26, government funding was £1.2m £5,819 per pupil and spending £1.3m £6,575 per pupil. Spending was £152k £755 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 | 201.0 | £1.4m £6,735 per pupil | £1.3m £6,575 per pupil | +£32k +£160 per pupil | £8k £42 per pupil |
| 2024-25 | 200.0 | £1.2m £6,179 per pupil | £1.2m £6,172 per pupil | +£1k +£7 per pupil | -£24k -£119 per pupil |
| 2023-24 | 201.0 | £1.0m £5,088 per pupil | £1.0m £5,050 per pupil | +£8k +£37 per pupil | -£25k -£125 per pupil |
| 2022-23 | 184.0 | £991k £5,386 per pupil | £965k £5,244 per pupil | +£26k +£142 per pupil | -£33k -£178 per pupil |
| 2021-22 | 177.0 | £946k £5,342 per pupil | £907k £5,126 per pupil | +£38k +£216 per pupil | -£59k -£333 per pupil |
| 2020-21 | 175.0 | £876k £5,005 per pupil | £858k £4,903 per pupil | +£18k +£102 per pupil | -£97k -£555 per pupil |
| 2019-20 | 170.0 | £846k £4,979 per pupil | £901k £5,301 per pupil | -£55k -£321 per pupil | -£115k -£676 per pupil |
| 2018-19 | 179.0 | £864k £4,828 per pupil | £916k £5,119 per pupil | -£52k -£292 per pupil | -£60k -£337 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 £6,735 per pupil | +39% +6% real | £7k | |
| Government funding | £1.2m £5,819 per pupil | +36% +4% real | £6k | |
| Special needs (SEN) funding | £23k £116 per pupil | -43% -57% real | £226 | |
| Pupil premium | £15k £73 per pupil | -13% -34% real | £84 | |
| Money the school raised itself | £184k £915 per pupil | +66% +27% real | £742 | |
| Donations (day-to-day) | £29k £142 per pupil | +89% +45% real | £69 | |
| Donations for buildings and equipment | £0 £0 per pupil | £0 | ||
| Facilities and services | £116k £576 per pupil | +88% +44% real | £403 | |
| Catering income | £19k £96 per pupil | -17% -36% real | £17 | |
| Other DfE grants | £62k £307 per pupil | +20% -9% real | £294 |
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 | £1.3m £6,575 per pupil | +28% -2% real | £7k | |
| Teachers | £608k £3,027 per pupil | +30% -0% real | £3k | |
| Supply staff | £17k £86 per pupil | -23% -41% real | £88 | |
| Support staff | £172k £855 per pupil | +15% -12% real | £1k | |
| Office and admin staff | £81k £404 per pupil | +52% +16% real | £345 | |
| Premises staff | £0 £0 per pupil | -100% -100% real | £146 | |
| Catering staff | £24k £120 per pupil | £0 | ||
| Other staff costs | £96k £478 per pupil | +34% +2% real | £209 | |
| All staff costs | £983k £4,892 per pupil | +27% -3% real | £5k | |
| Premises | £52k £259 per pupil | +22% -7% real | £361 | |
| Energy | £29k £143 per pupil | +46% +11% real | £95 | |
| Rates, water and other building costs | £145k £723 per pupil | +39% +6% real | £626 | |
| Catering | £69k £342 per pupil | +25% -4% real | £361 | |
| Learning resources | £76k £380 per pupil | +75% +34% real | £305 | |
| Supplies and services | £132k £658 per pupil | +31% -0% real | £617 | |
| Bought-in services | £47k £231 per pupil | -0% -24% real | £192 |
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 £1.3m £6,575 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
- 2018-19 179.0
- 2019-20 170.0
- 2020-21 175.0
- 2021-22 177.0
- 2022-23 184.0
- 2023-24 201.0
- 2024-25 200.0
- 2025-26 201.0
Income that passed straight through
In 2025-26, this school's income rose by +£118k +£586 per pupil on the year before, and its staff costs by +£106k +£526 per pupil. Much of the extra money may have gone straight out again on higher pay, pension and National Insurance costs.
About £2.3 billion of the rise in school funding since 2019–20 was grants to cover higher employer pension and National Insurance costs, not extra spending power. (IFS, p. 50)
Money raised by parents
| School year | Raised | Spent |
|---|---|---|
| 2026-27 year to August 2026 | £14k | £11k |
| 2025-26 year to August 2025 | £14k £70 per pupil | £11k £56 per pupil |
| 2024-25 year to August 2024 | £15k £74 per pupil | £15k £76 per pupil |
| 2023-24 year to August 2023 | £12k £62 per pupil | £12k £60 per pupil |
| 2022-23 year to August 2022 | £13k £69 per pupil | £3k £18 per pupil |
- FRIENDS OF OLVESTON SCHOOL (charity 1033814) Latest return: £14k in the year to August 2026. It reports 15 volunteers. Annual return due 30 June 2027.
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
- 4% of pupils eligible for free school meals (median school: council 16%, England 22%)
- Neighbourhood deprivation decile 8 of 10 (1 = most deprived)
- Income deprivation affecting children: decile 10 of 10 (1 = most deprived)
- 49% of adults nearby hold a degree-level qualification
- 86% of nearby homes are owner-occupied
- 4% 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 £626k £3,113 per pupil
- Support staff £172k £855 per pupil
- Buildings and grounds £52k £259 per pupil
- Energy £29k £143 per pupil
- Learning resources £76k £380 per pupil
- Everything else £367k £1,826 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 £8k £42 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 Olveston Church of England Primary School expect to rise most next year?
- How does Olveston 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)
- 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.
- Aughton Christ Church Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School
- Deighton Gates Primary School
- St Edward's CofE Academy Cheddleton
- Manland Primary School
- Henleaze Infant School
Admissions and catchments for Olveston Church of England Primary School on Schools in Reach · All South Gloucestershire school finances · Schools in Thornbury and Yate
- 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)