St Thomas of Canterbury Church of England Aided Primary School, Brentwood: 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 £284k £556 per pupil in reserve, 9% 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 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 £3.2m £6,324 per pupil and spending £3.3m £6,495 per pupil. Spending was £87k £171 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 | 510.0 | £3.3m £6,436 per pupil | £3.3m £6,495 per pupil | -£30k -£60 per pupil | £284k £556 per pupil |
| 2024-25 | 523.0 | £3.3m £6,238 per pupil | £3.2m £6,031 per pupil | +£109k +£208 per pupil | £314k £600 per pupil |
| 2023-24 | 527.0 | £2.6m £4,872 per pupil | £2.5m £4,708 per pupil | +£86k +£164 per pupil | £205k £390 per pupil |
| 2022-23 | 302.0 | £1.7m £5,511 per pupil | £1.7m £5,519 per pupil | -£3k -£8 per pupil | £119k £394 per pupil |
| 2021-22 | 308.0 | £1.6m £5,278 per pupil | £1.6m £5,309 per pupil | -£10k -£31 per pupil | £122k £395 per pupil |
| 2020-21 | 307.0 | £1.4m £4,659 per pupil | £1.4m £4,547 per pupil | +£34k +£112 per pupil | £131k £427 per pupil |
| 2019-20 | 308.0 | £1.4m £4,545 per pupil | £1.4m £4,514 per pupil | +£10k +£31 per pupil | £97k £314 per pupil |
| 2018-19 | 310.0 | £1.4m £4,457 per pupil | £1.3m £4,233 per pupil | +£70k +£224 per pupil | £87k £281 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 | £3.3m £6,436 per pupil | +44% +10% real | £7k | |
| Government funding | £3.2m £6,324 per pupil | +58% +21% real | £7k | |
| Special needs (SEN) funding | £256k £502 per pupil | +174% +109% real | £282 | |
| Pupil premium | £161k £315 per pupil | +73% +32% real | £373 | |
| Money the school raised itself | £157k £307 per pupil | -36% -51% real | £382 | |
| Donations (day-to-day) | £16k £31 per pupil | -44% -57% real | £12 | |
| Donations for buildings and equipment | £0 £0 per pupil | £0 | ||
| Facilities and services | £27k £53 per pupil | +960% +657% real | £159 | |
| Catering income | £68k £133 per pupil | -49% -61% real | £46 | |
| Other DfE grants | £172k £336 per pupil | +442% +315% real | £181 |
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 | £3.3m £6,495 per pupil | +53% +17% real | £7k | |
| Teachers | £1.7m £3,375 per pupil | +50% +14% real | £3k | |
| Supply staff | £55k £109 per pupil | -35% -50% real | £101 | |
| Support staff | £644k £1,263 per pupil | +190% +121% real | £1k | |
| Office and admin staff | £149k £293 per pupil | +31% +0% real | £290 | |
| Premises staff | £119k £233 per pupil | +36% +4% real | £159 | |
| Catering staff | £100k £195 per pupil | £0 | ||
| Other staff costs | £114k £223 per pupil | +45% +10% real | £150 | |
| All staff costs | £2.7m £5,299 per pupil | +62% +24% real | £5k | |
| Premises | £154k £302 per pupil | +29% -1% real | £322 | |
| Energy | £34k £67 per pupil | +91% +49% real | £103 | |
| Rates, water and other building costs | £256k £502 per pupil | +71% +30% real | £543 | |
| Catering | £185k £363 per pupil | +75% +34% real | £260 | |
| Learning resources | £138k £271 per pupil | -21% -40% real | £286 | |
| Supplies and services | £194k £381 per pupil | -11% -32% real | £655 | |
| Bought-in services | £34k £67 per pupil | +3% -22% real | £263 |
Staff costs were 82% 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 £3.3m £6,495 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
- 2018-19 310.0
- 2019-20 308.0
- 2020-21 307.0
- 2021-22 308.0
- 2022-23 302.0
- 2023-24 527.0
- 2024-25 523.0
- 2025-26 510.0
Money raised by parents
| School year | Raised | Spent |
|---|---|---|
| 2026-27 year to August 2026 | £17k | £16k |
| 2025-26 year to August 2025 | £19k £37 per pupil | £26k £52 per pupil |
| 2024-25 year to August 2024 | £23k £45 per pupil | £18k £34 per pupil |
| 2023-24 year to August 2023 | £35k £66 per pupil | £35k £67 per pupil |
| 2022-23 year to August 2022 | £41k £137 per pupil | £41k £137 per pupil |
- Brentwood St Thomas of Canterbury C of E Primary School Association (charity 286107) Latest return: £17k in the year to August 2026. It reports 10 volunteers. Annual return due 30 June 2027.
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 9 of 10 (1 = most deprived)
- Income deprivation affecting children: decile 9 of 10 (1 = most deprived)
- 40% of adults nearby hold a degree-level qualification
- 79% of nearby homes are owner-occupied
- 2% 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 £1.8m £3,483 per pupil
- Support staff £644k £1,263 per pupil
- Buildings and grounds £154k £302 per pupil
- Energy £34k £67 per pupil
- Learning resources £138k £271 per pupil
- Everything else £565k £1,108 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 Thomas of Canterbury Church of England Aided Primary School, Brentwood's £284k £556 per pupil reserve being kept for, and is there a timetable to spend it?
- How many pupils at St Thomas of Canterbury Church of England Aided Primary School, Brentwood 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 St Thomas of Canterbury Church of England Aided Primary School, Brentwood'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.
- Greensted Primary School & Nursery
- Fosse Way Academy
- Richmond Primary School
- St Paul's Catholic Junior School
- Cotgrave Candleby Lane School
Admissions and catchments for St Thomas of Canterbury Church of England Aided Primary School, Brentwood on Schools in Reach · All Essex school finances · Schools in Brentwood and Ongar
- 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)