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St Martin's East Woodhay Church of England (Aided) Primary School: school finances

Latest full year 2025-26, as a council-run school (CFR return, April to March). Hampshire · Primary · Voluntary aided school

Healthy

Holds £49k £490 per pupil in reserve, 6% of a year's income.

Status by year

  1. 2018-19 Tight reserve under 3% of a year's income
  2. 2019-20 Tight same as the year before
  3. 2020-21 Tight same as the year before
  4. 2021-22 Tight same as the year before
  5. 2022-23 In deficit reserve below zero
  6. 2023-24 In deficit same as the year before
  7. 2024-25 Tight reserve under 3% of a year's income
  8. 2025-26 Healthy reserve between 3% and 8% of a year's income

Government funding vs spending per pupil

In 2025-26, government funding was £692k £6,852 per pupil and spending £735k £7,275 per pupil. Spending was £43k £423 per pupil more than government funding; the difference came from other income, such as lettings, catering or donations, or from the school's reserve.

Government funding and spending per pupil, 2018-19 to 2025-26Government funding and spending per pupil each year, 2018-19 to 2025-26. 2018-19: funding £5k, spending £5k; 2019-20: funding £5k, spending £6k; 2020-21: funding £5k, spending £5k; 2021-22: funding £5k, spending £6k; 2022-23: funding £6k, spending £7k; 2023-24: funding £6k, spending £7k; 2024-25: funding £7k, spending £7k; 2025-26: funding £7k, spending £7k£4,000£5,000£6,000£7,0002019-202021-222023-242025-26Gov. fundingSpendingSimilarGov. fundingSpending

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

Reserve per pupil, 2018-19 to 2025-26Reserve per pupil at the end of each year. 2018-19: £60; 2019-20: £99; 2020-21: £120; 2021-22: £40; 2022-23: -£153; 2023-24: -£192; 2024-25: £66; 2025-26: £490-£500£0£5002019-202021-222023-242025-26ReserveSimilarReserve

Real terms: in 2025-26 prices (HM Treasury GDP deflator, October 2026).

Each year's figures, newest first
YearPupilsIncomeSpendingIn-year balanceReserve at year end
2025-26101.0£777k £7,695 per pupil£735k £7,275 per pupil+£42k +£420 per pupil£49k £490 per pupil
2024-25107.0£808k £7,553 per pupil£778k £7,272 per pupil+£30k +£281 per pupil£7k £66 per pupil
2023-24120.0£794k £6,617 per pupil£800k £6,664 per pupil-£6k -£46 per pupil-£23k -£192 per pupil
2022-23114.0£780k £6,845 per pupil£803k £7,041 per pupil-£22k -£196 per pupil-£17k -£153 per pupil
2021-22120.0£721k £6,011 per pupil£732k £6,098 per pupil-£10k -£86 per pupil£5k £40 per pupil
2020-21127.0£692k £5,451 per pupil£690k £5,432 per pupil+£2k +£19 per pupil£15k £120 per pupil
2019-20129.0£720k £5,579 per pupil£715k £5,541 per pupil+£5k +£37 per pupil£13k £99 per pupil
2018-19133.0£720k £5,413 per pupil£712k £5,354 per pupil+£8k +£60 per pupil£8k £60 per pupil

Where the money comes from

Income in 2025-26, with the trend per pupil since 2018-19
Line2025-26Trend per pupilChange per pupil since 2018-19Similar schools (median per pupil)
Total income£777k £7,695 per pupil+42% +8% real£8k
Government funding£692k £6,852 per pupil+49% +13% real£7k
Special needs (SEN) funding£19k £189 per pupil+52% +16% real£242
Pupil premium£2k £15 per pupil-90% -92% real£100
Money the school raised itself£85k £843 per pupil+5% -20% real£501
Donations (day-to-day)£17k £165 per pupil-30% -47% real£50
Donations for buildings and equipment£0 £0 per pupil£0
Facilities and services£42k £418 per pupil+35% +3% real£183
Catering income£17k £167 per pupil+31% +1% real£107
Other DfE grants£42k £420 per pupil+43% +9% real£371

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

Spending in 2025-26, with the trend per pupil since 2018-19
Line2025-26Trend per pupilChange per pupil since 2018-19Similar schools (median per pupil)
Total spending£735k £7,275 per pupil+36% +4% real£8k
Teachers£380k £3,765 per pupil+50% +15% real£4k
Supply staff£595 £6 per pupil-95% -96% real£96
Support staff£67k £659 per pupil-10% -31% real£1k
Office and admin staff£54k £530 per pupil+78% +36% real£470
Premises staff£16k £163 per pupil+92% +47% real£0
Catering staff£0 £0 per pupil£0
Other staff costs£54k £535 per pupil+52% +16% real£96
All staff costs£559k £5,537 per pupil+37% +5% real£6k
Premises£39k £382 per pupil+76% +35% real£335
Energy£9k £90 per pupil+96% +48% real£107
Rates, water and other building costs£59k £585 per pupil+38% +5% real£587
Catering£34k £332 per pupil+15% -12% real£336
Learning resources£30k £299 per pupil-12% -33% real£456
Supplies and services£78k £771 per pupil+15% -12% real£839
Bought-in services£26k £253 per pupil-11% -32% real£224

Staff costs were 76% 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 £735k £7,275 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

  1. 2018-19 133.0
  2. 2019-20 129.0
  3. 2020-21 127.0
  4. 2021-22 120.0
  5. 2022-23 114.0
  6. 2023-24 120.0
  7. 2024-25 107.0
  8. 2025-26 101.0

Pupil numbers fell from 133.0 to 101.0 (24% 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

Parents' association money per pupilParents' association income and spending per pupil. 2021-22: raised £71; 2022-23: raised £191; 2023-24: raised £165; 2024-25: raised £88; 2025-26: raised £214£0£100£2002021-222022-232023-242024-252025-26RaisedSpent
Each school year's returns, newest first
School yearRaisedSpent
2025-26
year to August 2025
£22k £214 per pupil£22k £221 per pupil
2024-25
year to August 2024
£9k £88 per pupil£5k £47 per pupil
2023-24
year to August 2023
£20k £165 per pupil£30k £251 per pupil
2022-23
year to August 2022
£22k £191 per pupil£6k £50 per pupil
2021-22
year to August 2021
£9k £71 per pupil£1k £9 per pupil

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

council-run · Primary · Mixed · Church of England

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.

National context

Questions to ask the school

Useful for parents, governors and PTFA committees.

  1. How many pupils does St Martin's East Woodhay Church of England (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)
  2. How much does the PTA (or friends' association) raise each year, and what does it pay for?
  3. Is the school planning to merge classes, share staff or work more closely with another school?
  4. How does St Martin's East Woodhay Church of England (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)
  5. 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)
  6. Could spare space be let out or shared to bring in income?

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.

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