St John's Church of England Aided Primary School, Shildon: school finances
Latest full year 2025-26, as a council-run school (CFR return, April to March). County Durham · Primary · Voluntary aided school
Large reserves
Holds £190k £829 per pupil in reserve, 10% of a year's income.
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 Healthy same as the year before
- 2021-22 Healthy same as the year before
- 2022-23 Healthy same as the year before
- 2023-24 Healthy same as the year before
- 2024-25 Large reserves reserve 8% or more of a year's income
- 2025-26 Large reserves same as the year before
Government funding vs spending per pupil
In 2025-26, government funding was £1.9m £8,124 per pupil and spending £1.9m £8,412 per pupil. Spending was £66k £288 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 | 229.0 | £1.9m £8,479 per pupil | £1.9m £8,412 per pupil | +£15k +£67 per pupil | £190k £829 per pupil |
| 2024-25 | 224.0 | £1.9m £8,533 per pupil | £1.8m £8,149 per pupil | +£86k +£384 per pupil | £175k £780 per pupil |
| 2023-24 | 232.0 | £1.7m £7,448 per pupil | £1.7m £7,396 per pupil | +£12k +£52 per pupil | £89k £382 per pupil |
| 2022-23 | 227.5 | £1.6m £6,993 per pupil | £1.6m £6,936 per pupil | +£13k +£57 per pupil | £77k £337 per pupil |
| 2021-22 | 222.5 | £1.5m £6,529 per pupil | £1.5m £6,674 per pupil | -£32k -£145 per pupil | £64k £286 per pupil |
| 2020-21 | 217.0 | £1.3m £6,215 per pupil | £1.3m £6,182 per pupil | +£7k +£33 per pupil | £96k £442 per pupil |
| 2019-20 | 223.0 | £1.3m £5,895 per pupil | £1.3m £5,996 per pupil | -£23k -£101 per pupil | £89k £398 per pupil |
| 2018-19 | 231.5 | £1.4m £5,994 per pupil | £1.3m £5,597 per pupil | +£92k +£397 per pupil | £111k £481 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 £8,479 per pupil | +41% +8% real | £9k | |
| Government funding | £1.9m £8,124 per pupil | +41% +8% real | £8k | |
| Special needs (SEN) funding | £83k £364 per pupil | +528% +379% real | £452 | |
| Pupil premium | £184k £803 per pupil | +27% -3% real | £788 | |
| Money the school raised itself | £81k £355 per pupil | +51% +15% real | £237 | |
| Donations (day-to-day) | £38k £165 per pupil | +267% +180% real | £4 | |
| Donations for buildings and equipment | £0 £0 per pupil | £0 | ||
| Facilities and services | £13k £55 per pupil | +293% +206% real | £91 | |
| Catering income | £11k £47 per pupil | +15% -11% real | £45 | |
| Other DfE grants | £42k £183 per pupil | +138% +81% real | £190 |
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 £8,412 per pupil | +50% +15% real | £9k | |
| Teachers | £817k £3,568 per pupil | +72% +31% real | £4k | |
| Supply staff | £0 £0 per pupil | -100% -100% real | £147 | |
| Support staff | £517k £2,258 per pupil | +61% +23% real | £2k | |
| Office and admin staff | £68k £296 per pupil | -15% -35% real | £394 | |
| Premises staff | £69k £301 per pupil | +68% +28% real | £268 | |
| Catering staff | £78k £343 per pupil | +56% +19% real | £0 | |
| Other staff costs | £78k £341 per pupil | +4% -21% real | £188 | |
| All staff costs | £1.5m £6,524 per pupil | +51% +15% real | £6k | |
| Premises | £107k £466 per pupil | +86% +42% real | £471 | |
| Energy | £21k £91 per pupil | +42% +10% real | £135 | |
| Rates, water and other building costs | £172k £751 per pupil | +54% +17% real | £821 | |
| Catering | £122k £534 per pupil | +59% +22% real | £482 | |
| Learning resources | £89k £388 per pupil | +48% +13% real | £393 | |
| Supplies and services | £150k £655 per pupil | +28% -3% real | £949 | |
| Bought-in services | £45k £197 per pupil | -14% -35% real | £374 |
Staff costs were 78% 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 £8,412 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
- 2018-19 231.5
- 2019-20 223.0
- 2020-21 217.0
- 2021-22 222.5
- 2022-23 227.5
- 2023-24 232.0
- 2024-25 224.0
- 2025-26 229.0
Money raised by parents
No registered parents' association found for St John's Church of England Aided Primary School, Shildon. 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
- 50% of pupils eligible for free school meals (median school: council 32%, England 22%)
- Neighbourhood deprivation decile 1 of 10 (1 = most deprived)
- Income deprivation affecting children: decile 1 of 10 (1 = most deprived)
- 14% of adults nearby hold a degree-level qualification
- 28% of nearby homes are owner-occupied
- 50% 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 £817k £3,568 per pupil
- Support staff £517k £2,258 per pupil
- Buildings and grounds £107k £466 per pupil
- Energy £21k £91 per pupil
- Learning resources £89k £388 per pupil
- Everything else £376k £1,642 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 John's Church of England Aided Primary School, Shildon's £190k £829 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 John's Church of England Aided Primary School, Shildon'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.
- Acres Hill Community Primary School
- West Blatchington Primary and Nursery School
- Mill Lane Primary School
- Becket Primary School
- Dean Field Community Primary School
Admissions and catchments for St John's Church of England Aided Primary School, Shildon on Schools in Reach · All County Durham school finances · Schools in Bishop Auckland
- 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)