The Beacon Church of England (VA) Primary School: school finances
Latest full year 2025-26, as a council-run school (CFR return, April to March). Devon · Primary · Voluntary aided school
In deficit
In deficit by £257k £1,704 per pupil, 21% of a year's income: it has spent more over the years than it received. It has spent more than it received for 3 years running.
Why schools go into deficit. Most of a school's money goes on people: over 80% of schools' costs are staff costs. So when pay and other costs rise faster than funding, or a school loses pupils and the money that comes with each one, the budget is squeezed quickly and staffing is the only big thing left to cut. In 2024–25 and 2025–26, mainstream school funding per pupil grew by 2 percentage points less than school costs, partly because rising special needs costs took a large share of the extra money. A deficit usually comes from several of these pressures at once, not one bad decision. (IFS, pp. 62–63)
What helps. Schools in this position usually agree a recovery plan with the council, often over two or three years, and governors check progress against it each term. The questions further down are a good way to start that conversation.
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 Healthy reserve between 3% and 8% of a year's income
- 2021-22 Large reserves reserve 8% or more of a year's income
- 2022-23 Large reserves same as the year before
- 2023-24 Healthy reserve between 3% and 8% of a year's income
- 2024-25 In deficit reserve below zero
- 2025-26 In deficit same as the year before
Government funding vs spending per pupil
In 2025-26, government funding was £1.2m £7,712 per pupil and spending £1.4m £9,094 per pupil. Spending was £209k £1,382 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 | 151.0 | £1.2m £7,999 per pupil | £1.4m £9,094 per pupil | -£165k -£1,094 per pupil | -£257k -£1,704 per pupil |
| 2024-25 | 166.0 | £1.2m £7,156 per pupil | £1.4m £8,193 per pupil | -£172k -£1,038 per pupil | -£92k -£554 per pupil |
| 2023-24 | 166.0 | £1.1m £6,835 per pupil | £1.2m £7,145 per pupil | -£51k -£310 per pupil | £80k £484 per pupil |
| 2022-23 | 168.0 | £1.1m £6,531 per pupil | £1.1m £6,358 per pupil | +£29k +£173 per pupil | £132k £784 per pupil |
| 2021-22 | 183.0 | £1.1m £5,860 per pupil | £1.0m £5,605 per pupil | +£47k +£255 per pupil | £103k £561 per pupil |
| 2020-21 | 190.0 | £950k £5,001 per pupil | £1.0m £5,331 per pupil | -£63k -£330 per pupil | £56k £295 per pupil |
| 2019-20 | 196.0 | £980k £5,000 per pupil | £979k £4,996 per pupil | +£876 +£4 per pupil | £119k £606 per pupil |
| 2018-19 | 198.0 | £938k £4,735 per pupil | £915k £4,621 per pupil | +£23k +£114 per pupil | £118k £596 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 | £1.2m £7,999 per pupil | +69% +29% real | £8k | |
| Government funding | £1.2m £7,712 per pupil | +77% +35% real | £7k | |
| Special needs (SEN) funding | £17k £113 per pupil | +40% +7% real | £367 | |
| Pupil premium | £55k £362 per pupil | +27% -3% real | £316 | |
| Money the school raised itself | £43k £287 per pupil | -25% -43% real | £436 | |
| Donations (day-to-day) | £0 £0 per pupil recorded | -100% -100% real | £42 | |
| Donations for buildings and equipment | £0 £0 per pupil | £0 | ||
| Facilities and services | £6k £37 per pupil | +9% -16% real | £135 | |
| Catering income | £12k £77 per pupil | -24% -42% real | £49 | |
| Other DfE grants | £40k £267 per pupil | +22% -7% real | £381 |
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 | £1.4m £9,094 per pupil | +97% +50% real | £8k | |
| Teachers | £637k £4,222 per pupil | +98% +51% real | £3k | |
| Supply staff | £1k £7 per pupil | -77% -82% real | £135 | |
| Support staff | £303k £2,005 per pupil | +166% +103% real | £1k | |
| Office and admin staff | £81k £535 per pupil | +94% +48% real | £427 | |
| Premises staff | £29k £192 per pupil | +126% +71% real | £178 | |
| Catering staff | £17k £110 per pupil | +41% +8% real | £0 | |
| Other staff costs | £20k £131 per pupil | +179% +111% real | £243 | |
| All staff costs | £1.0m £6,938 per pupil | +111% +61% real | £6k | |
| Premises | £68k £453 per pupil | +105% +57% real | £397 | |
| Energy | £12k £77 per pupil | +126% +71% real | £120 | |
| Rates, water and other building costs | £91k £603 per pupil | +55% +19% real | £728 | |
| Catering | £51k £338 per pupil | +36% +4% real | £406 | |
| Learning resources | £59k £390 per pupil | +31% -0% real | £341 | |
| Supplies and services | £100k £663 per pupil | +16% -11% real | £647 | |
| Bought-in services | £30k £198 per pupil | -15% -36% real | £236 |
Staff costs were 76% 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 £1.4m £9,094 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
- 2018-19 198.0
- 2019-20 196.0
- 2020-21 190.0
- 2021-22 183.0
- 2022-23 168.0
- 2023-24 166.0
- 2024-25 166.0
- 2025-26 151.0
Pupil numbers fell from 198.0 to 151.0 (24% 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 | £1k £9 per pupil | £2k £11 per pupil |
| 2024-25 year to August 2024 | £5k £29 per pupil | £2k £11 per pupil |
| 2023-24 year to August 2023 | £5k £30 per pupil | £2k £13 per pupil |
| 2022-23 year to August 2022 | £280 £2 per pupil | £669 £4 per pupil |
| 2021-22 year to August 2021 | £10k £54 per pupil | £9k £50 per pupil |
- THE BEACON (C OF E) V.A. PRIMARY SCHOOL, PARENTS, TEACHERS AND FRIENDS ASSOCIATION (charity 1140981) Latest return: £1k £9 per pupil in the year to August 2025.
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
- 20% of pupils eligible for free school meals (median school: council 19%, England 22%)
- Neighbourhood deprivation decile 3 of 10 (1 = most deprived)
- Income deprivation affecting children: decile 3 of 10 (1 = most deprived)
- 30% of adults nearby hold a degree-level qualification
- 42% of nearby homes are owner-occupied
- 6% of nearby homes are social rented
Intake band 4 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 £638k £4,228 per pupil
- Support staff £303k £2,005 per pupil
- Buildings and grounds £68k £453 per pupil
- Energy £12k £77 per pupil
- Learning resources £59k £390 per pupil
- Everything else £293k £1,941 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.
- What is the plan to get The Beacon Church of England (VA) Primary School back into balance, and how many years will it take? Has the council agreed it?
- How many pupils does The Beacon Church of England (VA) 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?
- What is driving the deficit: falling pupil numbers, staff costs, special needs support, or something else? Why ask: Over 80% of schools' costs are staff costs. (IFS, p. 63)
- Is the school planning to merge classes, share staff or work more closely with another school?
- How does The Beacon Church of England (VA) 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)
- Will the recovery plan change class sizes, the subjects on offer or the number of support staff?
- 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)
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.
- Shortlanesend School
- Grange View Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School
- Beechwood Primary School
- Walkern Primary School
- Anston Park Infant School
Admissions and catchments for The Beacon Church of England (VA) Primary School on Schools in Reach · All Devon school finances · Schools in Exmouth and Exeter 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
- 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)