Lockington Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School: school finances
Latest full year 2025-26, as a council-run school (CFR return, April to March). East Riding of Yorkshire · Primary · Voluntary controlled school
Healthy
Holds £33k £756 per pupil in reserve, 7% 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 Heading for deficit spending more than it received, reserve running down
- 2024-25 Large reserves reserve 8% or more of a year's income
- 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 £438k £10,076 per pupil and spending £495k £11,372 per pupil. Spending was £56k £1,296 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 | 43.5 | £481k £11,055 per pupil | £495k £11,372 per pupil | -£14k -£317 per pupil | £33k £756 per pupil |
| 2024-25 | 41.5 | £452k £10,881 per pupil | £440k £10,600 per pupil | +£12k +£282 per pupil | £47k £1,125 per pupil |
| 2023-24 | 39.5 | £416k £10,525 per pupil | £435k £11,009 per pupil | -£19k -£484 per pupil | £35k £886 per pupil |
| 2022-23 | 41.5 | £342k £8,247 per pupil | £360k £8,686 per pupil | -£18k -£439 per pupil | £54k £1,304 per pupil |
| 2021-22 | 33.0 | £328k £9,926 per pupil | £339k £10,280 per pupil | -£12k -£353 per pupil | £72k £2,192 per pupil |
| 2020-21 | 31.0 | £339k £10,939 per pupil | £305k £9,845 per pupil | +£34k +£1,095 per pupil | £84k £2,709 per pupil |
| 2019-20 | 36.0 | £337k £9,364 per pupil | £324k £9,014 per pupil | +£13k +£350 per pupil | £50k £1,391 per pupil |
| 2018-19 | 36.0 | £374k £10,401 per pupil | £360k £10,002 per pupil | +£14k +£400 per pupil | £37k £1,040 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 | £481k £11,055 per pupil | +6% -19% real | £12k | |
| Government funding | £438k £10,076 per pupil | +3% -21% real | £11k | |
| Special needs (SEN) funding | £1k £31 per pupil | -90% -92% real | £471 | |
| Pupil premium | £4k £98 per pupil | -37% -52% real | £292 | |
| Money the school raised itself | £43k £979 per pupil | +53% +17% real | £651 | |
| Donations (day-to-day) | £20k £462 per pupil | +1748% +1300% real | £83 | |
| Donations for buildings and equipment | £0 £0 per pupil | £0 | ||
| Facilities and services | £10k £237 per pupil | -30% -47% real | £207 | |
| Catering income | £3k £77 per pupil | -45% -58% real | £125 | |
| Other DfE grants | £33k £770 per pupil | +26% -4% real | £651 |
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 | £495k £11,372 per pupil | +14% -13% real | £12k | |
| Teachers | £240k £5,508 per pupil | +22% -7% real | £6k | |
| Supply staff | £25k £566 per pupil | +106% +57% real | £105 | |
| Support staff | £23k £535 per pupil | -58% -68% real | £2k | |
| Office and admin staff | £26k £598 per pupil | +52% +16% real | £676 | |
| Premises staff | £19k £441 per pupil | +40% +7% real | £255 | |
| Catering staff | £8k £193 per pupil | +34% +2% real | £0 | |
| Other staff costs | £28k £645 per pupil | +12% -15% real | £370 | |
| All staff costs | £345k £7,940 per pupil | +11% -15% real | £9k | |
| Premises | £48k £1,098 per pupil | +103% +55% real | £678 | |
| Energy | £6k £136 per pupil | -26% -44% real | £183 | |
| Rates, water and other building costs | £37k £854 per pupil | +1% -23% real | £995 | |
| Catering | £22k £507 per pupil | +22% -7% real | £582 | |
| Learning resources | £32k £731 per pupil | -6% -28% real | £739 | |
| Supplies and services | £64k £1,460 per pupil | +8% -18% real | £1k | |
| Bought-in services | £27k £625 per pupil | +55% +18% real | £486 |
Staff costs were 70% 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 £495k £11,372 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 36.0
- 2019-20 36.0
- 2020-21 31.0
- 2021-22 33.0
- 2022-23 41.5
- 2023-24 39.5
- 2024-25 41.5
- 2025-26 43.5
Income that passed straight through
In 2025-26, this school's income rose by +£29k +£674 per pupil on the year before, and its staff costs by +£27k +£626 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 August 2025 | £40k £926 per pupil | £22k £500 per pupil |
| 2024-25 year to August 2024 | £15k £370 per pupil | £9k £218 per pupil |
| 2023-24 year to August 2023 | £3k £77 per pupil | £4k £101 per pupil |
| 2022-23 year to August 2022 | £1k £31 per pupil | £2k £46 per pupil |
| 2021-22 year to August 2021 | £634 £19 per pupil | £2k £58 per pupil |
- THE FRIENDS OF LOCKINGTON C E SCHOOL (charity 1044389) Latest return: £40k £926 per pupil in the year to August 2025. It reports 10 volunteers. Annual return due 30 June 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
- 15% 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 8 of 10 (1 = most deprived)
- 28% of adults nearby hold a degree-level qualification
- 55% of nearby homes are owner-occupied
- 5% 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 £264k £6,074 per pupil
- Support staff £23k £535 per pupil
- Buildings and grounds £48k £1,098 per pupil
- Energy £6k £136 per pupil
- Learning resources £32k £731 per pupil
- Everything else £122k £2,799 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.
- How much does the PTA (or friends' association) raise each year, and what does it pay for?
- How does Lockington Church of England Voluntary Controlled 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)
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.
- Hose Church of England Primary School
- Admiral Long Church of England Primary School
- Follifoot Church of England Primary School
- Soudley School
- St Cuthberts Catholic Primary School, Windermere
Admissions and catchments for Lockington Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School on Schools in Reach · All East Riding of Yorkshire school finances · Schools in Beverley and Holderness
- 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)