St George's Church of England Primary School, Great Bromley: 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 £169k £1,532 per pupil in reserve, 15% 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 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 £1.1m £9,881 per pupil and spending £1.1m £10,086 per pupil. Spending was £23k £206 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 | 110.0 | £1.1m £10,448 per pupil | £1.1m £10,086 per pupil | +£40k +£362 per pupil | £169k £1,532 per pupil |
| 2024-25 | 111.0 | £1.1m £9,840 per pupil | £1.1m £9,830 per pupil | +£1k +£11 per pupil | £129k £1,160 per pupil |
| 2023-24 | 116.0 | £1.1m £9,490 per pupil | £1.1m £9,274 per pupil | +£25k +£216 per pupil | £128k £1,100 per pupil |
| 2022-23 | 117.0 | £973k £8,313 per pupil | £1.0m £8,563 per pupil | -£29k -£250 per pupil | £103k £877 per pupil |
| 2021-22 | 116.0 | £919k £7,924 per pupil | £870k £7,503 per pupil | +£49k +£421 per pupil | £132k £1,136 per pupil |
| 2020-21 | 121.0 | £886k £7,323 per pupil | £899k £7,430 per pupil | -£13k -£107 per pupil | £83k £686 per pupil |
| 2019-20 | 111.0 | £865k £7,794 per pupil | £879k £7,916 per pupil | -£14k -£123 per pupil | £96k £863 per pupil |
| 2018-19 | 119.0 | £822k £6,904 per pupil | £834k £7,011 per pupil | -£13k -£107 per pupil | £109k £920 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 | £1.1m £10,448 per pupil | +51% +15% real | £8k | |
| Government funding | £1.1m £9,881 per pupil | +50% +15% real | £7k | |
| Special needs (SEN) funding | £82k £748 per pupil | +1640% +1212% real | £329 | |
| Pupil premium | £11k £97 per pupil | +45% +11% real | £125 | |
| Money the school raised itself | £64k £583 per pupil | +78% +36% real | £635 | |
| Donations (day-to-day) | £4k £33 per pupil | -79% -84% real | £69 | |
| Donations for buildings and equipment | £0 £0 per pupil | £0 | ||
| Facilities and services | £29k £262 per pupil | +5140% +4267% real | £269 | |
| Catering income | £6k £57 per pupil | -45% -58% real | £90 | |
| Other DfE grants | £38k £345 per pupil | +17% -11% real | £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 | £1.1m £10,086 per pupil | +44% +10% real | £8k | |
| Teachers | £366k £3,330 per pupil | +54% +17% real | £3k | |
| Supply staff | £41k £368 per pupil | +96% +49% real | £43 | |
| Support staff | £165k £1,503 per pupil | +80% +37% real | £1k | |
| Office and admin staff | £51k £467 per pupil | +4% -20% real | £399 | |
| Premises staff | £17k £156 per pupil | £101 | ||
| Catering staff | £0 £0 per pupil | £0 | ||
| Other staff costs | £35k £316 per pupil | +96% +50% real | £222 | |
| All staff costs | £666k £6,052 per pupil | +58% +21% real | £6k | |
| Premises | £58k £528 per pupil | +61% +23% real | £353 | |
| Energy | £20k £186 per pupil | +74% +33% real | £114 | |
| Rates, water and other building costs | £81k £738 per pupil | -69% -77% real | £713 | |
| Catering | £27k £242 per pupil | +16% -12% real | £371 | |
| Learning resources | £29k £267 per pupil | +12% -14% real | £361 | |
| Supplies and services | £304k £2,768 per pupil | +532% +382% real | £801 | |
| Bought-in services | £267k £2,423 per pupil | +1269% +944% real | £325 |
Staff costs were 60% 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 £1.1m £10,086 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
- 2018-19 119.0
- 2019-20 111.0
- 2020-21 121.0
- 2021-22 116.0
- 2022-23 117.0
- 2023-24 116.0
- 2024-25 111.0
- 2025-26 110.0
Pupil numbers fell from 119.0 to 110.0 (8% fewer) over the years shown.
Schools are mostly funded per pupil, so fewer pupils means less money. Costs do not fall in step: a class with a few fewer pupils still needs a teacher. Primary schools in England have already lost about 100,000 pupils (3%) between 2019–20 and 2024–25, and are expected to lose over 300,000 more (about 8%) by 2030–31. Secondary numbers are expected to start falling from about 2026–27. The IFS points out that money is only saved if schools actually reduce what they spend, such as staff or the number of schools. That is why a well-run school with falling numbers can still find its budget under pressure. (IFS, pp. 19, 64)
Money raised by parents
| School year | Raised | Spent |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 year to September 2024 | £14k £130 per pupil | £13k £117 per pupil |
| 2023-24 year to September 2023 | £16k £141 per pupil | £17k £144 per pupil |
| 2022-23 year to September 2022 | £10k £88 per pupil | £13k £109 per pupil |
| 2021-22 year to September 2021 | £10k £87 per pupil | £9k £81 per pupil |
- SAINT GEORGES CHURCH OF ENGLAND SCHOOL,GREAT BROMLEY, PARENT TEACHERS ASSOCIATION (charity 1047072) Latest return: £14k £130 per pupil in the year to September 2024. It reports 30 volunteers. Annual return due 30 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
- 6% of pupils eligible for free school meals (median school: council 17%, England 22%)
- Neighbourhood deprivation decile 5 of 10 (1 = most deprived)
- Income deprivation affecting children: decile 7 of 10 (1 = most deprived)
- 24% of adults nearby hold a degree-level qualification
- 85% of nearby homes are owner-occupied
- 5% 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 £407k £3,698 per pupil
- Support staff £165k £1,503 per pupil
- Buildings and grounds £58k £528 per pupil
- Energy £20k £186 per pupil
- Learning resources £29k £267 per pupil
- Everything else £429k £3,904 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 George's Church of England Primary School, Great Bromley's £169k £1,532 per pupil reserve being kept for, and is there a timetable to spend it?
- How many pupils does St George's Church of England Primary School, Great Bromley expect in each year group over the next three years? Why ask: Primary pupil numbers in England are expected to fall by over 300,000 (about 8%) by 2030–31. (IFS, p. 19)
- How many pupils at St George's Church of England Primary School, Great Bromley 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?
- Is the school planning to merge classes, share staff or work more closely with another school?
- Does the council's top-up money arrive on time and cover what the support actually costs?
- How does St George's Church of England Primary School, Great Bromley'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.
- Temple Grafton CofE Primary School
- Bubwith Community Primary School
- White Notley Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School
- Leighterton Primary School
- Punnetts Town Community Primary School and Nursery
Admissions and catchments for St George's Church of England Primary School, Great Bromley 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)