St Mary's Church of England Primary School: school finances
Latest full year 2025-26, as a council-run school (CFR return, April to March). Slough · Primary · Voluntary controlled school
Healthy
Holds £285k £440 per pupil in reserve, 7% of a year's income. It has spent more than it received for 3 years, so watch the trend.
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 Large reserves same as the year before
- 2022-23 Large reserves same as the year before
- 2023-24 Large reserves same as the year before
- 2025-26 Healthy reserve between 3% and 8% of a year's income
Government funding vs spending per pupil
In 2025-26, government funding was £4.5m £6,883 per pupil and spending £4.4m £6,856 per pupil. Government funding was £17k £27 per pupil more than spending.
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 | 649.0 | £4.4m £6,716 per pupil | £4.4m £6,856 per pupil | -£91k -£140 per pupil | £285k £440 per pupil |
| 2023-24 | 656.5 | £3.9m £6,006 per pupil | £4.0m £6,032 per pupil | -£17k -£26 per pupil | £340k £518 per pupil |
| 2022-23 | 657.0 | £3.6m £5,437 per pupil | £3.6m £5,479 per pupil | -£28k -£42 per pupil | £357k £543 per pupil |
| 2021-22 | 649.0 | £3.3m £5,098 per pupil | £3.3m £5,047 per pupil | +£33k +£51 per pupil | £385k £593 per pupil |
| 2020-21 | 638.0 | £3.3m £5,116 per pupil | £3.1m £4,872 per pupil | +£155k +£243 per pupil | £352k £551 per pupil |
| 2019-20 | 647.5 | £3.0m £4,659 per pupil | £3.1m £4,770 per pupil | -£72k -£111 per pupil | £197k £304 per pupil |
| 2018-19 | 618.5 | £3.0m £4,833 per pupil | £2.9m £4,634 per pupil | +£123k +£198 per pupil | £269k £434 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 | £4.4m £6,716 per pupil | +39% +6% real | £7k | |
| Government funding | £4.5m £6,883 per pupil | +46% +11% real | £7k | |
| Special needs (SEN) funding | £194k £299 per pupil | +340% +232% real | £303 | |
| Pupil premium | £251k £386 per pupil | +64% +25% real | £444 | |
| Money the school raised itself | £87k £133 per pupil | +27% -3% real | £328 | |
| Donations (day-to-day) | £665 £1 per pupil | -75% -80% real | £4 | |
| Donations for buildings and equipment | £0 £0 per pupil | £0 | ||
| Facilities and services | £14k £21 per pupil | +950% +600% real | £129 | |
| Catering income | £46k £70 per pupil | +49% +15% real | £57 | |
| Other DfE grants | £113k £175 per pupil | £186 |
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 | £4.4m £6,856 per pupil | +48% +13% real | £7k | |
| Teachers | £2.1m £3,234 per pupil | +52% +16% real | £3k | |
| Supply staff | £34k £53 per pupil | +960% +657% real | £135 | |
| Support staff | £1.1m £1,709 per pupil | +70% +29% real | £2k | |
| Office and admin staff | £231k £357 per pupil | +16% -12% real | £306 | |
| Premises staff | £93k £143 per pupil | +51% +15% real | £126 | |
| Catering staff | £0 £0 per pupil | £0 | ||
| Other staff costs | £125k £193 per pupil | +35% +3% real | £170 | |
| All staff costs | £3.6m £5,545 per pupil | +54% +18% real | £5k | |
| Premises | £204k £314 per pupil | +48% +13% real | £449 | |
| Energy | £81k £125 per pupil | +95% +49% real | £89 | |
| Rates, water and other building costs | £388k £597 per pupil | +39% +6% real | £557 | |
| Catering | £172k £265 per pupil | +51% +16% real | £274 | |
| Learning resources | £127k £196 per pupil | -14% -35% real | £262 | |
| Supplies and services | £260k £400 per pupil | +5% -20% real | £631 | |
| Bought-in services | £81k £125 per pupil | +20% -8% real | £240 |
Staff costs were 81% 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 £4.4m £6,856 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
- 2018-19 618.5
- 2019-20 647.5
- 2020-21 638.0
- 2021-22 649.0
- 2022-23 657.0
- 2023-24 656.5
- 2025-26 649.0
Money raised by parents
No registered parents' association found for St Mary's Church of England Primary School. 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
- 26% of pupils eligible for free school meals (median school: council 19%, England 22%)
- Neighbourhood deprivation decile 2 of 10 (1 = most deprived)
- Income deprivation affecting children: decile 1 of 10 (1 = most deprived)
- 37% of adults nearby hold a degree-level qualification
- 29% of nearby homes are owner-occupied
- 19% of nearby homes are social rented
Intake band 5 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 £2.1m £3,286 per pupil
- Support staff £1.1m £1,709 per pupil
- Buildings and grounds £204k £314 per pupil
- Energy £81k £125 per pupil
- Learning resources £127k £196 per pupil
- Everything else £796k £1,226 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 St Mary's 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)
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.
- Pinhoe Church of England Primary School & Nursery
- Shireland Hall Primary Academy
- Manor Community Primary School
- Aldermoor Farm Primary School
- Cavendish Primary School
Admissions and catchments for St Mary's Church of England Primary School on Schools in Reach · All Slough school finances · Schools in Slough
- 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)