Benington Church of England Primary School: school finances
Latest full year 2025-26, as a council-run school (CFR return, April to March). Hertfordshire · Primary · Voluntary controlled school
Large reserves
Holds £103k £1,101 per pupil in reserve, 13% 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 £750k £7,974 per pupil and spending £829k £8,818 per pupil. Spending was £79k £844 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 | 94.0 | £808k £8,597 per pupil | £829k £8,818 per pupil | -£21k -£221 per pupil | £103k £1,101 per pupil |
| 2024-25 | 100.0 | £757k £7,571 per pupil | £734k £7,335 per pupil | +£24k +£236 per pupil | £124k £1,243 per pupil |
| 2023-24 | 97.0 | £669k £6,899 per pupil | £666k £6,869 per pupil | +£3k +£30 per pupil | £101k £1,038 per pupil |
| 2022-23 | 91.0 | £572k £6,286 per pupil | £584k £6,422 per pupil | -£12k -£136 per pupil | £98k £1,074 per pupil |
| 2021-22 | 84.0 | £552k £6,576 per pupil | £553k £6,581 per pupil | -£425 -£5 per pupil | £110k £1,311 per pupil |
| 2020-21 | 89.0 | £577k £6,482 per pupil | £557k £6,262 per pupil | +£20k +£220 per pupil | £111k £1,243 per pupil |
| 2019-20 | 94.0 | £581k £6,177 per pupil | £575k £6,119 per pupil | +£5k +£57 per pupil | £91k £968 per pupil |
| 2018-19 | 95.0 | £572k £6,020 per pupil | £565k £5,944 per pupil | +£7k +£76 per pupil | £86k £901 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 | £808k £8,597 per pupil | +43% +9% real | £8k | |
| Government funding | £750k £7,974 per pupil | +43% +9% real | £8k | |
| Special needs (SEN) funding | £31k £325 per pupil | £316 | ||
| Pupil premium | £12k £129 per pupil | +33% +2% real | £126 | |
| Money the school raised itself | £59k £623 per pupil | +21% -8% real | £671 | |
| Donations (day-to-day) | £6k £65 per pupil | +150% +91% real | £97 | |
| Donations for buildings and equipment | £0 £0 per pupil | -100% -100% real | £0 | |
| Facilities and services | £38k £405 per pupil | +39% +6% real | £187 | |
| Catering income | £13k £135 per pupil | -11% -32% real | £116 | |
| Other DfE grants | £34k £362 per pupil | -1% -24% real | £393 |
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 | £829k £8,818 per pupil | +48% +13% real | £8k | |
| Teachers | £376k £3,996 per pupil | +45% +10% real | £4k | |
| Supply staff | £23k £247 per pupil | +394% +274% real | £67 | |
| Support staff | £128k £1,365 per pupil | +50% +14% real | £1k | |
| Office and admin staff | £38k £402 per pupil | +13% -14% real | £478 | |
| Premises staff | £34k £360 per pupil | +67% +28% real | £86 | |
| Catering staff | £0 £0 per pupil | £0 | ||
| Other staff costs | £52k £557 per pupil | +106% +57% real | £215 | |
| All staff costs | £619k £6,581 per pupil | +50% +15% real | £6k | |
| Premises | £45k £478 per pupil | +42% +9% real | £406 | |
| Energy | £13k £135 per pupil | +35% +3% real | £102 | |
| Rates, water and other building costs | £74k £788 per pupil | +18% -10% real | £639 | |
| Catering | £41k £432 per pupil | +6% -19% real | £322 | |
| Learning resources | £28k £296 per pupil | +5% -20% real | £432 | |
| Supplies and services | £91k £971 per pupil | +72% +31% real | £872 | |
| Bought-in services | £55k £590 per pupil | +132% +77% real | £257 |
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 £829k £8,818 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 95.0
- 2019-20 94.0
- 2020-21 89.0
- 2021-22 84.0
- 2022-23 91.0
- 2023-24 97.0
- 2024-25 100.0
- 2025-26 94.0
Income that passed straight through
In 2025-26, this school's income rose by +£51k +£542 per pupil on the year before, and its staff costs by +£82k +£870 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 year to July 2025 | £9k £95 per pupil | £5k £51 per pupil |
| 2024-25 year to July 2024 | £8k £81 per pupil | £10k £102 per pupil |
| 2023-24 year to July 2023 | £11k £113 per pupil | £7k £73 per pupil |
| 2022-23 year to July 2022 | £5k £53 per pupil | £2k £25 per pupil |
| 2021-22 year to July 2021 | £1k £16 per pupil | £535 £6 per pupil |
- FRIENDS OF BENINGTON SCHOOL ASSOCIATION (charity 1067838) Latest return: £9k £95 per pupil in the year to July 2025. Annual return due 31 May 2024.
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
- 5% of pupils eligible for free school meals (median school: council 15%, England 22%)
- Neighbourhood deprivation decile 6 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
- 71% of nearby homes are owner-occupied
- 13% 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 £399k £4,243 per pupil
- Support staff £128k £1,365 per pupil
- Buildings and grounds £45k £478 per pupil
- Energy £13k £135 per pupil
- Learning resources £28k £296 per pupil
- Everything else £216k £2,301 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 Benington Church of England Primary School's £103k £1,101 per pupil reserve being kept for, and is there a timetable to spend it?
- 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?
- How does Benington Church of England 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?
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.
- Bayton CofE Primary School
- Nether Alderley Primary School
- The Griffin Primary School
- Ilsington Church of England Primary School
- Sulhamstead and Ufton Nervet School
Admissions and catchments for Benington Church of England Primary School on Schools in Reach · All Hertfordshire school finances · Schools in North East Hertfordshire
- 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)