Catsfield 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 £45k £431 per pupil in reserve, 6% of a year's income.
Status by year
- 2018-19 Healthy reserve between 3% and 8% of a year's income
- 2019-20 Large reserves reserve 8% or more of a year's income
- 2020-21 Large reserves same as the year before
- 2021-22 Healthy reserve between 3% and 8% of a year's income
- 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 Healthy reserve between 3% and 8% of a year's income
Government funding vs spending per pupil
In 2025-26, government funding was £787k £7,492 per pupil and spending £845k £8,044 per pupil. Spending was £58k £552 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 | 105.0 | £821k £7,820 per pupil | £845k £8,044 per pupil | -£24k -£225 per pupil | £45k £431 per pupil |
| 2024-25 | 101.0 | £821k £8,124 per pupil | £789k £7,810 per pupil | +£32k +£314 per pupil | £69k £682 per pupil |
| 2023-24 | 107.0 | £692k £6,465 per pupil | £699k £6,537 per pupil | -£8k -£72 per pupil | £37k £347 per pupil |
| 2022-23 | 102.0 | £620k £6,078 per pupil | £608k £5,957 per pupil | +£12k +£121 per pupil | £45k £440 per pupil |
| 2021-22 | 97.0 | £597k £6,150 per pupil | £631k £6,502 per pupil | -£34k -£353 per pupil | £32k £335 per pupil |
| 2020-21 | 103.0 | £602k £5,842 per pupil | £590k £5,730 per pupil | +£12k +£112 per pupil | £67k £648 per pupil |
| 2019-20 | 107.0 | £598k £5,592 per pupil | £562k £5,254 per pupil | +£36k +£338 per pupil | £55k £515 per pupil |
| 2018-19 | 110.0 | £584k £5,311 per pupil | £576k £5,238 per pupil | +£8k +£73 per pupil | £19k £172 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 | £821k £7,820 per pupil | +47% +12% real | £8k | |
| Government funding | £787k £7,492 per pupil | +43% +9% real | £7k | |
| Special needs (SEN) funding | £32k £300 per pupil | £312 | ||
| Pupil premium | £26k £248 per pupil | +16% -11% real | £256 | |
| Money the school raised itself | £34k £328 per pupil | +281% +190% real | £565 | |
| Donations (day-to-day) | £12k £112 per pupil | +273% +187% real | £61 | |
| Donations for buildings and equipment | £0 £0 per pupil | £0 | ||
| Facilities and services | £20k £192 per pupil | +1820% +1271% real | £220 | |
| Catering income | £0 £0 per pupil | £111 | ||
| Other DfE grants | £35k £330 per pupil | £333 |
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 | £845k £8,044 per pupil | +54% +17% real | £8k | |
| Teachers | £382k £3,635 per pupil | +51% +15% real | £4k | |
| Supply staff | £24k £227 per pupil | +46% +12% real | £64 | |
| Support staff | £136k £1,299 per pupil | +102% +54% real | £1k | |
| Office and admin staff | £70k £671 per pupil | +110% +60% real | £435 | |
| Premises staff | £18k £170 per pupil | +34% +2% real | £125 | |
| Catering staff | £0 £0 per pupil | £0 | ||
| Other staff costs | £25k £235 per pupil | -13% -34% real | £272 | |
| All staff costs | £641k £6,100 per pupil | +60% +22% real | £6k | |
| Premises | £41k £389 per pupil | +86% +42% real | £431 | |
| Energy | £17k £160 per pupil | +48% +13% real | £113 | |
| Rates, water and other building costs | £75k £714 per pupil | +37% +4% real | £627 | |
| Catering | £29k £278 per pupil | +31% +0% real | £339 | |
| Learning resources | £25k £235 per pupil | -22% -40% real | £456 | |
| Supplies and services | £87k £828 per pupil | +21% -8% real | £893 | |
| Bought-in services | £42k £397 per pupil | +15% -12% real | £252 |
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 £845k £8,044 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
- 2018-19 110.0
- 2019-20 107.0
- 2020-21 103.0
- 2021-22 97.0
- 2022-23 102.0
- 2023-24 107.0
- 2024-25 101.0
- 2025-26 105.0
Money raised by parents
| School year | Raised | Spent |
|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 year to July 2025 | £8k £76 per pupil | £11k £100 per pupil |
| 2024-25 year to July 2024 | £8k £77 per pupil | £1k £14 per pupil |
| 2023-24 year to July 2023 | £7k £62 per pupil | £3k £32 per pupil |
| 2022-23 year to July 2022 | £1k £14 per pupil | £776 £8 per pupil |
| 2021-22 year to July 2021 | £1k £11 per pupil | £1k £11 per pupil |
- CATSFIELD CHURCH OF ENGLAND PRIMARY SCHOOL PARENT TEACHERS ASSOCIATION (charity 1119174) Latest return: £8k £76 per pupil in the year to July 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
- 17% of pupils eligible for free school meals (median school: council 21%, England 22%)
- Neighbourhood deprivation decile 4 of 10 (1 = most deprived)
- Income deprivation affecting children: decile 7 of 10 (1 = most deprived)
- 36% of adults nearby hold a degree-level qualification
- 72% of nearby homes are owner-occupied
- 6% of nearby homes are social rented
Intake band 2 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 £406k £3,862 per pupil
- Support staff £136k £1,299 per pupil
- Buildings and grounds £41k £389 per pupil
- Energy £17k £160 per pupil
- Learning resources £25k £235 per pupil
- Everything else £220k £2,099 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 Catsfield 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.
- Hartland Primary School
- Mendlesham Primary School
- Hartlip Endowed Church of England Primary School
- Seabrook Church of England Primary School
- Furneux Pelham Church of England School
Admissions and catchments for Catsfield 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)