Battle and Langton Church of England Primary School: school finances
Latest full year 2025-26, as a council-run school (CFR return, April to March). East Sussex · Primary · Voluntary controlled school
Healthy
Holds £196k £469 per pupil in reserve, 7% of a year's income.
Status by year
- 2018-19 Healthy reserve between 3% and 8% of a year's income
- 2019-20 Heading for deficit spending more than it received, reserve running down
- 2020-21 Healthy reserve between 3% and 8% of a year's income
- 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 Healthy same as the year before
- 2025-26 Healthy same as the year before
Government funding vs spending per pupil
In 2025-26, government funding was £2.8m £6,590 per pupil and spending £2.8m £6,789 per pupil. Spending was £83k £198 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 | 418.0 | £2.9m £7,055 per pupil | £2.8m £6,789 per pupil | +£111k +£266 per pupil | £196k £469 per pupil |
| 2024-25 | 421.0 | £2.7m £6,527 per pupil | £2.8m £6,563 per pupil | -£15k -£36 per pupil | £85k £201 per pupil |
| 2023-24 | 420.0 | £2.5m £5,958 per pupil | £2.5m £5,940 per pupil | +£7k +£18 per pupil | £100k £238 per pupil |
| 2022-23 | 422.0 | £2.2m £5,310 per pupil | £2.3m £5,484 per pupil | -£73k -£174 per pupil | £93k £220 per pupil |
| 2021-22 | 408.0 | £2.3m £5,584 per pupil | £2.2m £5,425 per pupil | +£65k +£159 per pupil | £166k £407 per pupil |
| 2020-21 | 408.0 | £2.1m £5,082 per pupil | £2.0m £4,974 per pupil | +£44k +£107 per pupil | £101k £248 per pupil |
| 2019-20 | 410.0 | £2.0m £4,931 per pupil | £2.0m £4,995 per pupil | -£26k -£64 per pupil | £57k £140 per pupil |
| 2018-19 | 418.0 | £2.0m £4,874 per pupil | £2.0m £4,904 per pupil | -£13k -£30 per pupil | £84k £200 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 | £2.9m £7,055 per pupil | +45% +10% real | £7k | |
| Government funding | £2.8m £6,590 per pupil | +41% +8% real | £6k | |
| Special needs (SEN) funding | £160k £384 per pupil | +317% +217% real | £277 | |
| Pupil premium | £173k £413 per pupil | +42% +9% real | £385 | |
| Money the school raised itself | £195k £467 per pupil | +117% +66% real | £377 | |
| Donations (day-to-day) | £118k £282 per pupil | +386% +271% real | £25 | |
| Donations for buildings and equipment | £0 £0 per pupil | £0 | ||
| Facilities and services | £63k £150 per pupil | +35% +3% real | £118 | |
| Catering income | £0 £0 per pupil | £65 | ||
| Other DfE grants | £85k £203 per pupil | £213 |
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 | £2.8m £6,789 per pupil | +38% +6% real | £7k | |
| Teachers | £1.3m £3,067 per pupil | +42% +8% real | £3k | |
| Supply staff | £42k £99 per pupil | -20% -39% real | £110 | |
| Support staff | £545k £1,303 per pupil | +42% +8% real | £1k | |
| Office and admin staff | £114k £274 per pupil | +35% +3% real | £315 | |
| Premises staff | £122k £292 per pupil | +154% +95% real | £205 | |
| Catering staff | £0 £0 per pupil | £0 | ||
| Other staff costs | £111k £265 per pupil | +26% -4% real | £192 | |
| All staff costs | £2.1m £5,042 per pupil | +38% +5% real | £5k | |
| Premises | £184k £440 per pupil | +135% +80% real | £351 | |
| Energy | £45k £107 per pupil | +88% +43% real | £83 | |
| Rates, water and other building costs | £298k £714 per pupil | +25% -5% real | £598 | |
| Catering | £117k £280 per pupil | +43% +9% real | £304 | |
| Learning resources | £143k £343 per pupil | +23% -6% real | £265 | |
| Supplies and services | £246k £588 per pupil | +19% -10% real | £602 | |
| Bought-in services | £54k £129 per pupil | -18% -37% real | £217 |
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 £2.8m £6,789 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
- 2018-19 418.0
- 2019-20 410.0
- 2020-21 408.0
- 2021-22 408.0
- 2022-23 422.0
- 2023-24 420.0
- 2024-25 421.0
- 2025-26 418.0
Money raised by parents
| School year | Raised | Spent |
|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 year to September 2025 | £19k £46 per pupil | £29k £71 per pupil |
| 2024-25 year to September 2024 | £15k £36 per pupil | £14k £34 per pupil |
| 2023-24 year to September 2023 | £14k £34 per pupil | £13k £30 per pupil |
| 2022-23 year to September 2022 | £11k £26 per pupil | £9k £22 per pupil |
| 2021-22 year to September 2021 | £19 £0 per pupil | £10k £24 per pupil |
- BATTLE & LANGTON SCHOOL ASSOCIATION (charity 1092662) Latest return: £19k £46 per pupil in the year to September 2025. It reports 20 volunteers. Annual return due 30 July 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
- 25% of pupils eligible for free school meals (median school: council 21%, England 22%)
- Neighbourhood deprivation decile 5 of 10 (1 = most deprived)
- Income deprivation affecting children: decile 4 of 10 (1 = most deprived)
- 35% of adults nearby hold a degree-level qualification
- 79% of nearby homes are owner-occupied
- 11% 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 £1.3m £3,166 per pupil
- Support staff £545k £1,303 per pupil
- Buildings and grounds £184k £440 per pupil
- Energy £45k £107 per pupil
- Learning resources £143k £343 per pupil
- Everything else £597k £1,429 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 Battle and Langton 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.
- Halifax Primary School
- Linden Primary School
- Nine Acres Primary School
- Woodthorne Primary School
- Boston West Academy
Admissions and catchments for Battle and Langton Church of England Primary School on Schools in Reach · All East Sussex school finances · Schools in Bexhill and Battle
- 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)