St Margaret's Church of England Primary School: school finances
Latest full year 2025-26, as a council-run school (CFR return, April to March). County Durham · Primary · Voluntary controlled school
Large reserves
Holds £436k £1,099 per pupil in reserve, 17% of a year's income. It has been drawing on it for 2 years.
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 Large reserves same as the year before
- 2023-24 Large reserves same as the year before
- 2024-25 Large reserves same as the year before
- 2025-26 Large reserves same as the year before
Government funding vs spending per pupil
In 2025-26, government funding was £2.2m £5,600 per pupil and spending £2.7m £6,722 per pupil. Spending was £446k £1,122 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 | 397.0 | £2.6m £6,445 per pupil | £2.7m £6,722 per pupil | -£110k -£277 per pupil | £436k £1,099 per pupil |
| 2024-25 | 402.0 | £2.5m £6,328 per pupil | £2.6m £6,345 per pupil | -£7k -£17 per pupil | £546k £1,359 per pupil |
| 2023-24 | 391.0 | £2.5m £6,393 per pupil | £2.4m £6,140 per pupil | +£99k +£253 per pupil | £553k £1,414 per pupil |
| 2022-23 | 415.0 | £2.4m £5,677 per pupil | £2.3m £5,584 per pupil | +£38k +£93 per pupil | £454k £1,094 per pupil |
| 2021-22 | 418.0 | £2.1m £5,025 per pupil | £2.1m £4,928 per pupil | +£41k +£97 per pupil | £416k £995 per pupil |
| 2020-21 | 416.0 | £2.1m £5,054 per pupil | £1.9m £4,620 per pupil | +£181k +£434 per pupil | £375k £902 per pupil |
| 2019-20 | 420.0 | £1.9m £4,613 per pupil | £1.9m £4,556 per pupil | +£24k +£58 per pupil | £195k £463 per pupil |
| 2018-19 | 417.0 | £1.9m £4,637 per pupil | £1.9m £4,574 per pupil | +£26k +£63 per pupil | £170k £409 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 | £2.6m £6,445 per pupil | +39% +6% real | £6k | |
| Government funding | £2.2m £5,600 per pupil | +42% +8% real | £6k | |
| Special needs (SEN) funding | £49k £124 per pupil | +39% +6% real | £173 | |
| Pupil premium | £35k £87 per pupil | -3% -26% real | £74 | |
| Money the school raised itself | £376k £948 per pupil | +39% +6% real | £755 | |
| Donations (day-to-day) | £0 £0 per pupil recorded | -100% -100% real | £34 | |
| Donations for buildings and equipment | £0 £0 per pupil | £0 | ||
| Facilities and services | £246k £621 per pupil | +134% +79% real | £434 | |
| Catering income | £86k £216 per pupil | +53% +17% real | £105 | |
| Other DfE grants | £97k £245 per pupil | +390% +271% real | £248 |
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 £6,722 per pupil | +47% +12% real | £7k | |
| Teachers | £1.2m £3,001 per pupil | +42% +8% real | £3k | |
| Supply staff | £3k £8 per pupil | -94% -95% real | £73 | |
| Support staff | £454k £1,144 per pupil | +113% +62% real | £1k | |
| Office and admin staff | £151k £380 per pupil | +94% +47% real | £279 | |
| Premises staff | £78k £196 per pupil | +72% +31% real | £143 | |
| Catering staff | £0 £0 per pupil | £0 | ||
| Other staff costs | £150k £377 per pupil | +35% +3% real | £196 | |
| All staff costs | £2.0m £4,915 per pupil | +49% +14% real | £5k | |
| Premises | £151k £380 per pupil | +136% +80% real | £334 | |
| Energy | £35k £87 per pupil | +112% +64% real | £80 | |
| Rates, water and other building costs | £270k £681 per pupil | +50% +14% real | £560 | |
| Catering | £172k £432 per pupil | +43% +9% real | £306 | |
| Learning resources | £152k £382 per pupil | +35% +3% real | £283 | |
| Supplies and services | £295k £744 per pupil | +53% +17% real | £586 | |
| Bought-in services | £115k £289 per pupil | +55% +18% real | £168 |
Staff costs were 73% 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 £6,722 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
- 2019-20 420.0
- 2020-21 416.0
- 2021-22 418.0
- 2022-23 415.0
- 2023-24 391.0
- 2024-25 402.0
- 2025-26 397.0
Money raised by parents
| School year | Raised | Spent |
|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 year to July 2025 | £15k £38 per pupil | £9k £23 per pupil |
| 2024-25 year to July 2024 | £16k £41 per pupil | £6k £16 per pupil |
| 2023-24 year to July 2023 | £21k £54 per pupil | £18k £45 per pupil |
| 2022-23 year to July 2022 | £6k £16 per pupil | £3k £8 per pupil |
| 2021-22 year to July 2021 | £5k £13 per pupil | £4k £10 per pupil |
- FRIENDS OF ST MARGARET'S C E PRIMARY SCHOOL (DURHAM) (charity 1031792) Latest return: £15k £38 per pupil in the year to July 2025. It reports 70 volunteers. Annual return due 31 May 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
- 2% of pupils eligible for free school meals (median school: council 32%, England 22%)
- Neighbourhood deprivation decile 10 of 10 (1 = most deprived)
- Income deprivation affecting children: decile 10 of 10 (1 = most deprived)
- 37% of adults nearby hold a degree-level qualification
- 59% 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 £1.2m £3,009 per pupil
- Support staff £454k £1,144 per pupil
- Buildings and grounds £151k £380 per pupil
- Energy £35k £87 per pupil
- Learning resources £152k £382 per pupil
- Everything else £682k £1,719 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.
- What is St Margaret's Church of England Primary School's £436k £1,099 per pupil reserve being kept for, and is there a timetable to spend it?
- How much does the PTA (or friends' association) raise each year, and what does it pay for?
- Is any of it already committed, for example to building work or to cover a planned overspend?
- How does St Margaret'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)
- Could some be spent on current pupils without putting future years at risk?
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.
- Wymondham College Prep School
- Westbury Park School
- Jesse Gray Primary School
- Hertsmere Jewish Primary School
- Cardinal Newman Catholic Primary School
Admissions and catchments for St Margaret's Church of England Primary School on Schools in Reach · All County Durham school finances · Schools in City of Durham
- 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)