Meonstoke Church of England Infant School: school finances
Latest full year 2025-26, as a council-run school (CFR return, April to March). Hampshire · Primary · Voluntary controlled school
Large reserves
Holds £93k £1,362 per pupil in reserve, 16% 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 £550k £8,090 per pupil and spending £561k £8,251 per pupil. Spending was £11k £161 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 | 68.0 | £565k £8,302 per pupil | £561k £8,251 per pupil | +£4k +£51 per pupil | £93k £1,362 per pupil |
| 2024-25 | 57.0 | £486k £8,520 per pupil | £477k £8,365 per pupil | +£9k +£155 per pupil | £89k £1,563 per pupil |
| 2023-24 | 50.0 | £475k £9,508 per pupil | £456k £9,115 per pupil | +£20k +£394 per pupil | £80k £1,606 per pupil |
| 2022-23 | 58.0 | £453k £7,805 per pupil | £441k £7,602 per pupil | +£12k +£203 per pupil | £61k £1,045 per pupil |
| 2021-22 | 62.0 | £426k £6,876 per pupil | £459k £7,403 per pupil | -£33k -£527 per pupil | £49k £788 per pupil |
| 2020-21 | 63.0 | £481k £7,635 per pupil | £491k £7,786 per pupil | -£10k -£151 per pupil | £82k £1,295 per pupil |
| 2019-20 | 72.0 | £536k £7,446 per pupil | £488k £6,773 per pupil | +£48k +£673 per pupil | £91k £1,265 per pupil |
| 2018-19 | 83.0 | £463k £5,578 per pupil | £463k £5,581 per pupil | -£286 -£3 per pupil | £43k £514 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 | £565k £8,302 per pupil | +49% +14% real | £10k | |
| Government funding | £550k £8,090 per pupil | +51% +16% real | £9k | |
| Special needs (SEN) funding | £13k £184 per pupil | +349% +241% real | £433 | |
| Pupil premium | £14k £210 per pupil | +166% +104% real | £173 | |
| Money the school raised itself | £14k £212 per pupil | -10% -31% real | £570 | |
| Donations (day-to-day) | £5k £72 per pupil | -43% -57% real | £121 | |
| Donations for buildings and equipment | £0 £0 per pupil | £0 | ||
| Facilities and services | £3k £42 per pupil | -60% -70% real | £187 | |
| Catering income | £171 £3 per pupil | +200% +50% real | £85 | |
| Other DfE grants | £55k £808 per pupil | +52% +16% real | £459 |
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 | £561k £8,251 per pupil | +48% +13% real | £10k | |
| Teachers | £253k £3,727 per pupil | +39% +6% real | £5k | |
| Supply staff | £14k £207 per pupil | +109% +59% real | £112 | |
| Support staff | £81k £1,185 per pupil | +70% +30% real | £1k | |
| Office and admin staff | £43k £639 per pupil | +63% +24% real | £563 | |
| Premises staff | £6k £86 per pupil | +219% +139% real | £174 | |
| Catering staff | £0 £0 per pupil | £0 | ||
| Other staff costs | £9k £126 per pupil | -43% -57% real | £293 | |
| All staff costs | £402k £5,919 per pupil | +44% +10% real | £7k | |
| Premises | £34k £503 per pupil | +53% +17% real | £437 | |
| Energy | £6k £89 per pupil | +17% -11% real | £121 | |
| Rates, water and other building costs | £51k £751 per pupil | +21% -8% real | £714 | |
| Catering | £30k £437 per pupil | +5% -20% real | £367 | |
| Learning resources | £29k £423 per pupil | +124% +71% real | £476 | |
| Supplies and services | £53k £781 per pupil | +63% +24% real | £1k | |
| Bought-in services | £17k £250 per pupil | +7% -18% real | £346 |
Staff costs were 72% 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 £561k £8,251 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 83.0
- 2019-20 72.0
- 2020-21 63.0
- 2021-22 62.0
- 2022-23 58.0
- 2023-24 50.0
- 2024-25 57.0
- 2025-26 68.0
Pupil numbers fell from 83.0 to 68.0 (18% 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)
Income that passed straight through
In 2025-26, this school's income rose by +£79k +£1,161 per pupil on the year before, and its staff costs by +£74k +£1,093 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2026-27 year to August 2026 | £6k | £6k |
| 2025-26 year to August 2025 | £4k £63 per pupil | £4k £54 per pupil |
| 2024-25 year to August 2024 | £3k £56 per pupil | £2k £37 per pupil |
| 2023-24 year to August 2023 | £4k £71 per pupil | £7k £131 per pupil |
| 2022-23 year to August 2022 | £7k £116 per pupil | £6k £100 per pupil |
- FRIENDS OF MEONSTOKE SCHOOL (charity 1059231) Latest return: £6k in the year to August 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
- 10% 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 9 of 10 (1 = most deprived)
- 49% of adults nearby hold a degree-level qualification
- 72% of nearby homes are owner-occupied
- 12% 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 £268k £3,934 per pupil
- Support staff £81k £1,185 per pupil
- Buildings and grounds £34k £503 per pupil
- Energy £6k £89 per pupil
- Learning resources £29k £423 per pupil
- Everything else £144k £2,116 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 Meonstoke Church of England Infant School's £93k £1,362 per pupil reserve being kept for, and is there a timetable to spend it?
- How many pupils does Meonstoke Church of England Infant 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 Meonstoke Church of England Infant 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.
- Leverton Church of England Academy
- Christopher Reeves CofE VA Primary School
- Cheriton Primary School
- Bodsham Church of England Primary School
- St John's CofE First School
Admissions and catchments for Meonstoke Church of England Infant School on Schools in Reach · All Hampshire school finances · Schools in Winchester
- 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)