St Michael's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School: school finances
Latest full year 2025-26, as a council-run school (CFR return, April to March). Essex · Primary · Voluntary aided school
Large reserves
Holds £323k £836 per pupil in reserve, 13% of a year's income.
Status by year
- 2018-19 Healthy reserve between 3% and 8% of a year's income
- 2019-20 Healthy same as the year before
- 2020-21 Large reserves reserve 8% or more of a year's income
- 2021-22 Healthy reserve between 3% and 8% of a year's income
- 2022-23 Heading for deficit spending more than it received, reserve running down
- 2023-24 In deficit reserve below zero
- 2024-25 Healthy reserve between 3% and 8% of a year's income
- 2025-26 Large reserves reserve 8% or more of a year's income
Government funding vs spending per pupil
In 2025-26, government funding was £2.5m £6,391 per pupil and spending £2.4m £6,227 per pupil. Government funding was £63k £164 per pupil more than spending.
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 | 387.0 | £2.6m £6,639 per pupil | £2.4m £6,227 per pupil | +£159k +£411 per pupil | £323k £836 per pupil |
| 2024-25 | 404.5 | £2.7m £6,558 per pupil | £2.4m £5,895 per pupil | +£268k +£663 per pupil | £164k £406 per pupil |
| 2023-24 | 415.0 | £2.3m £5,655 per pupil | £2.5m £5,941 per pupil | -£118k -£285 per pupil | -£104k -£251 per pupil |
| 2022-23 | 415.5 | £2.1m £5,022 per pupil | £2.2m £5,353 per pupil | -£137k -£330 per pupil | £14k £34 per pupil |
| 2021-22 | 410.0 | £2.1m £5,024 per pupil | £2.1m £5,052 per pupil | -£11k -£28 per pupil | £152k £370 per pupil |
| 2020-21 | 416.0 | £1.9m £4,588 per pupil | £1.8m £4,361 per pupil | +£95k +£228 per pupil | £163k £391 per pupil |
| 2019-20 | 419.0 | £1.8m £4,178 per pupil | £1.8m £4,292 per pupil | -£48k -£114 per pupil | £68k £163 per pupil |
| 2018-19 | 418.0 | £1.7m £4,105 per pupil | £1.6m £3,925 per pupil | +£75k +£180 per pupil | £116k £277 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 | £2.6m £6,639 per pupil | +62% +23% real | £6k | |
| Government funding | £2.5m £6,391 per pupil | +64% +25% real | £6k | |
| Special needs (SEN) funding | £177k £458 per pupil | +199% +128% real | £295 | |
| Pupil premium | £130k £336 per pupil | +246% +165% real | £306 | |
| Money the school raised itself | £99k £257 per pupil | +25% -4% real | £302 | |
| Donations (day-to-day) | £32k £82 per pupil | +2633% +1950% real | £17 | |
| Donations for buildings and equipment | £0 £0 per pupil | £0 | ||
| Facilities and services | £31k £79 per pupil | +339% +229% real | £109 | |
| Catering income | £33k £86 per pupil | +0% -23% real | £77 | |
| Other DfE grants | £79k £205 per pupil | -8% -30% real | £252 |
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 | £2.4m £6,227 per pupil | +59% +21% real | £7k | |
| Teachers | £1.1m £2,827 per pupil | +33% +2% real | £3k | |
| Supply staff | £14k £35 per pupil | -61% -70% real | £100 | |
| Support staff | £532k £1,374 per pupil | +94% +48% real | £1k | |
| Office and admin staff | £86k £221 per pupil | +14% -13% real | £292 | |
| Premises staff | £38k £98 per pupil | -29% -46% real | £122 | |
| Catering staff | £71k £183 per pupil | +87% +42% real | £0 | |
| Other staff costs | £74k £191 per pupil | +58% +21% real | £217 | |
| All staff costs | £1.8m £4,648 per pupil | +42% +9% real | £5k | |
| Premises | £131k £339 per pupil | +88% +44% real | £265 | |
| Energy | £42k £109 per pupil | +252% +172% real | £83 | |
| Rates, water and other building costs | £186k £482 per pupil | +95% +49% real | £523 | |
| Catering | £111k £287 per pupil | +65% +26% real | £276 | |
| Learning resources | £77k £198 per pupil | +164% +102% real | £263 | |
| Supplies and services | £291k £752 per pupil | +223% +146% real | £520 | |
| Bought-in services | £132k £341 per pupil | +171% +107% real | £197 |
Staff costs were 75% 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 £2.4m £6,227 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
- 2019-20 419.0
- 2020-21 416.0
- 2021-22 410.0
- 2022-23 415.5
- 2023-24 415.0
- 2024-25 404.5
- 2025-26 387.0
Pupil numbers fell from 418.0 to 387.0 (7% 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 March 2025 | £29k £72 per pupil | £22k £54 per pupil |
| 2023-24 year to March 2024 | £14k £33 per pupil | £16k £39 per pupil |
| 2022-23 year to March 2023 | £16k £38 per pupil | £12k £30 per pupil |
| 2021-22 year to March 2022 | £8k £20 per pupil | £6k £14 per pupil |
| 2020-21 year to March 2021 | £4k £11 per pupil | £7k £18 per pupil |
- THE FRIENDS OF ST MICHAEL'S SCHOOL (charity 1092344) Latest return: £29k £72 per pupil in the year to March 2025. It reports 13 volunteers. Annual return due 31 January 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
- 20% of pupils eligible for free school meals (median school: council 17%, England 22%)
- Neighbourhood deprivation decile 8 of 10 (1 = most deprived)
- Income deprivation affecting children: decile 6 of 10 (1 = most deprived)
- 24% of adults nearby hold a degree-level qualification
- 80% of nearby homes are owner-occupied
- 4% of nearby homes are social rented
Intake band 3 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 £1.1m £2,862 per pupil
- Support staff £532k £1,374 per pupil
- Buildings and grounds £131k £339 per pupil
- Energy £42k £109 per pupil
- Learning resources £77k £198 per pupil
- Everything else £521k £1,345 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 Michael's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School's £323k £836 per pupil reserve being kept for, and is there a timetable to spend it?
- How many pupils does St Michael's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School 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 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?
- How does St Michael's Church of England Voluntary Aided 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?
- Has the council talked about reducing places, merging or closing schools in this area? Why ask: The IFS notes savings from falling numbers only come if staff or the number of schools are reduced. (IFS, p. 64)
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.
- Wincanton Primary School
- Hawkinge Primary School
- Glebe Primary School
- Finberry Primary School
- The Meadow Community Primary School
Admissions and catchments for St Michael's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School on Schools in Reach · All Essex school finances · Schools in Braintree
- 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)