Great Tey Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School: school finances
Latest full year 2025-26, as a council-run school (CFR return, April to March). Essex · Primary · Voluntary controlled school
Large reserves
Holds £102k £1,190 per pupil in reserve, 13% of a year's income.
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 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 £741k £8,619 per pupil and spending £778k £9,043 per pupil. Spending was £36k £424 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 | 86.0 | £804k £9,345 per pupil | £778k £9,043 per pupil | +£26k +£302 per pupil | £102k £1,190 per pupil |
| 2024-25 | 82.0 | £752k £9,174 per pupil | £704k £8,583 per pupil | +£48k +£591 per pupil | £76k £931 per pupil |
| 2023-24 | 82.0 | £622k £7,583 per pupil | £615k £7,494 per pupil | +£7k +£89 per pupil | £28k £340 per pupil |
| 2022-23 | 75.0 | £561k £7,482 per pupil | £567k £7,562 per pupil | -£6k -£80 per pupil | £21k £275 per pupil |
| 2021-22 | 77.0 | £561k £7,287 per pupil | £575k £7,464 per pupil | -£14k -£177 per pupil | £27k £345 per pupil |
| 2020-21 | 70.0 | £525k £7,493 per pupil | £522k £7,459 per pupil | +£2k +£34 per pupil | £40k £574 per pupil |
| 2019-20 | 73.0 | £466k £6,381 per pupil | £481k £6,588 per pupil | -£15k -£206 per pupil | £38k £518 per pupil |
| 2018-19 | 60.0 | £424k £7,071 per pupil | £417k £6,957 per pupil | +£7k +£113 per pupil | £53k £881 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 | £804k £9,345 per pupil | +32% +1% real | £9k | |
| Government funding | £741k £8,619 per pupil | +35% +3% real | £8k | |
| Special needs (SEN) funding | £61k £708 per pupil | +146% +87% real | £265 | |
| Pupil premium | £33k £388 per pupil | +88% +44% real | £443 | |
| Money the school raised itself | £62k £726 per pupil | +7% -18% real | £625 | |
| Donations (day-to-day) | £22k £253 per pupil | +4% -21% real | £60 | |
| Donations for buildings and equipment | £0 £0 per pupil | £0 | ||
| Facilities and services | £29k £335 per pupil | +70% +30% real | £180 | |
| Catering income | £9k £100 per pupil | -17% -37% real | £52 | |
| Other DfE grants | £58k £679 per pupil | +46% +11% real | £335 |
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 | £778k £9,043 per pupil | +30% -1% real | £9k | |
| Teachers | £372k £4,327 per pupil | +47% +12% real | £4k | |
| Supply staff | £13k £147 per pupil | -1% -24% real | £136 | |
| Support staff | £148k £1,717 per pupil | +17% -11% real | £1k | |
| Office and admin staff | £38k £440 per pupil | -14% -35% real | £465 | |
| Premises staff | £3k £33 per pupil | -83% -87% real | £117 | |
| Catering staff | £28k £328 per pupil | +99% +52% real | £0 | |
| Other staff costs | £24k £277 per pupil | +9% -16% real | £428 | |
| All staff costs | £596k £6,933 per pupil | +29% -2% real | £7k | |
| Premises | £30k £353 per pupil | +35% +3% real | £469 | |
| Energy | £14k £160 per pupil | +55% +19% real | £130 | |
| Rates, water and other building costs | £71k £827 per pupil | +49% +14% real | £788 | |
| Catering | £43k £495 per pupil | +65% +26% real | £420 | |
| Learning resources | £31k £362 per pupil | +58% +21% real | £373 | |
| Supplies and services | £80k £930 per pupil | +21% -8% real | £878 | |
| Bought-in services | £39k £459 per pupil | -4% -27% real | £350 |
Staff costs were 77% 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 £778k £9,043 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 60.0
- 2019-20 73.0
- 2020-21 70.0
- 2021-22 77.0
- 2022-23 75.0
- 2023-24 82.0
- 2024-25 82.0
- 2025-26 86.0
Income that passed straight through
In 2025-26, this school's income rose by +£51k +£597 per pupil on the year before, and its staff costs by +£44k +£517 per pupil. Much of the extra money may have gone straight out again on higher pay, pension and National Insurance costs.
About £2.3 billion of the rise in school funding since 2019–20 was grants to cover higher employer pension and National Insurance costs, not extra spending power. (IFS, p. 50)
Money raised by parents
| School year | Raised | Spent |
|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 year to August 2025 | £9k £107 per pupil | £9k £104 per pupil |
| 2024-25 year to August 2024 | £9k £112 per pupil | £9k £109 per pupil |
| 2023-24 year to August 2023 | £7k £88 per pupil | £7k £83 per pupil |
| 2022-23 year to August 2022 | £5k £63 per pupil | £4k £53 per pupil |
| 2021-22 year to August 2021 | £5k £59 per pupil | £2k £21 per pupil |
- GREAT TEY PRIMARY SCHOOL PTA (charity 1191699) Latest return: £9k £107 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
- 24% of pupils eligible for free school meals (median school: council 17%, England 22%)
- Neighbourhood deprivation decile 7 of 10 (1 = most deprived)
- Income deprivation affecting children: decile 8 of 10 (1 = most deprived)
- 36% of adults nearby hold a degree-level qualification
- 86% 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 £385k £4,474 per pupil
- Support staff £148k £1,717 per pupil
- Buildings and grounds £30k £353 per pupil
- Energy £14k £160 per pupil
- Learning resources £31k £362 per pupil
- Everything else £170k £1,976 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 Great Tey Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School's £102k £1,190 per pupil reserve being kept for, and is there a timetable to spend it?
- How many pupils at Great Tey Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School have an EHCP or need extra support, and how is support above the first £6,000 a year funded? Why ask: Mainstream schools are expected to fund the first £6,000 a year per pupil from their core budget. (IFS, p. 46)
- 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?
- Does the council's top-up money arrive on time and cover what the support actually costs?
- How does Great Tey Church of England Voluntary Controlled 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?
- Is the council's high needs budget in deficit, and could that affect the school's top-ups? Why ask: Councils' accumulated high needs deficits are forecast to reach £14 billion by 2028. Statutory override: since 2020-21 DSG deficits are held in a separate unusable reserve rather than met from council general funds. The override runs to the end of 2027-28. Under the February 2026 approach, the High Needs Stability Grant pays 90% of each LA's eligible DSG deficit at 31 March 2026 from autumn 2026, so 2026-27 balances will fall sharply. (IFS, p. 61)
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.
- St David Haigh and Aspull CofE Primary School
- Reedham Primary School
- Bodiam Church of England Primary School
- Baltonsborough Church of England VC Primary School
- St Pius Xth Catholic Primary School, Consett
Admissions and catchments for Great Tey Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School on Schools in Reach · All Essex school finances · Schools in Harwich and North Essex
- 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)