Fawkham Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School: school finances
Latest full year 2025-26, as a council-run school (CFR return, April to March). Kent · Primary · Voluntary controlled school
Tight
Holds £19k £186 per pupil in reserve, under 3% of a year's income: little room for surprises.
Status by year
- 2018-19 Tight reserve under 3% of a year's income
- 2019-20 Healthy reserve between 3% and 8% of a year's income
- 2020-21 Large reserves reserve 8% or more of a year's income
- 2021-22 Large reserves same as the year before
- 2022-23 Healthy reserve between 3% and 8% of a year's income
- 2023-24 Healthy same as the year before
- 2024-25 Tight reserve under 3% of a year's income
- 2025-26 Tight same as the year before
Government funding vs spending per pupil
In 2025-26, government funding was £720k £6,986 per pupil and spending £777k £7,539 per pupil. Spending was £57k £553 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 | 103.0 | £785k £7,622 per pupil | £777k £7,539 per pupil | +£9k +£83 per pupil | £19k £186 per pupil |
| 2024-25 | 102.0 | £683k £6,698 per pupil | £709k £6,956 per pupil | -£26k -£257 per pupil | £11k £105 per pupil |
| 2023-24 | 99.0 | £671k £6,775 per pupil | £670k £6,765 per pupil | +£1k +£10 per pupil | £37k £373 per pupil |
| 2022-23 | 102.0 | £604k £5,923 per pupil | £622k £6,096 per pupil | -£18k -£173 per pupil | £36k £352 per pupil |
| 2021-22 | 103.0 | £567k £5,501 per pupil | £564k £5,475 per pupil | +£3k +£26 per pupil | £54k £520 per pupil |
| 2020-21 | 104.0 | £561k £5,395 per pupil | £534k £5,138 per pupil | +£27k +£257 per pupil | £51k £489 per pupil |
| 2019-20 | 105.0 | £564k £5,370 per pupil | £554k £5,278 per pupil | +£10k +£92 per pupil | £24k £230 per pupil |
| 2018-19 | 105.0 | £518k £4,938 per pupil | £531k £5,059 per pupil | -£13k -£121 per pupil | £15k £138 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 | £785k £7,622 per pupil | +54% +18% real | £8k | |
| Government funding | £720k £6,986 per pupil | +48% +13% real | £7k | |
| Special needs (SEN) funding | £18k £179 per pupil | £440 | ||
| Pupil premium | £29k £285 per pupil | +182% +116% real | £219 | |
| Money the school raised itself | £65k £636 per pupil | +128% +74% real | £625 | |
| Donations (day-to-day) | £64k £621 per pupil | +163% +100% real | £35 | |
| Donations for buildings and equipment | £0 £0 per pupil | £0 | ||
| Facilities and services | £0 £0 per pupil | -100% -100% real | £212 | |
| Catering income | £0 £0 per pupil | £0 | ||
| Other DfE grants | £34k £327 per pupil | +11% -15% real | £345 |
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 | £777k £7,539 per pupil | +49% +14% real | £8k | |
| Teachers | £438k £4,255 per pupil | +67% +27% real | £4k | |
| Supply staff | £11k £108 per pupil | +108% +59% real | £25 | |
| Support staff | £86k £836 per pupil | +50% +14% real | £2k | |
| Office and admin staff | £43k £422 per pupil | +5% -20% real | £476 | |
| Premises staff | £1k £14 per pupil | -55% -66% real | £143 | |
| Catering staff | £0 £0 per pupil | £0 | ||
| Other staff costs | £17k £168 per pupil | +17% -11% real | £222 | |
| All staff costs | £596k £5,790 per pupil | +56% +19% real | £6k | |
| Premises | £30k £288 per pupil | +26% -4% real | £365 | |
| Energy | £15k £147 per pupil | +119% +67% real | £105 | |
| Rates, water and other building costs | £77k £746 per pupil | +55% +18% real | £564 | |
| Catering | £30k £287 per pupil | +111% +61% real | £296 | |
| Learning resources | £31k £299 per pupil | -24% -42% real | £326 | |
| Supplies and services | £74k £714 per pupil | +12% -14% real | £769 | |
| Bought-in services | £20k £191 per pupil | +71% +31% real | £330 |
Staff costs were 77% 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 £777k £7,539 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
- 2018-19 105.0
- 2019-20 105.0
- 2020-21 104.0
- 2021-22 103.0
- 2022-23 102.0
- 2023-24 99.0
- 2024-25 102.0
- 2025-26 103.0
Money raised by parents
| School year | Raised | Spent |
|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 year to August 2025 | £7k £64 per pupil | £8k £76 per pupil |
| 2024-25 year to August 2024 | £10k £98 per pupil | £21k £208 per pupil |
| 2023-24 year to August 2023 | £19k £194 per pupil | £9k £92 per pupil |
| 2022-23 year to August 2022 | £4k £42 per pupil | £4k £34 per pupil |
| 2021-22 year to August 2021 | £41 £0 per pupil | £2k £21 per pupil |
- FRIENDS OF FAWKHAM SCHOOL FAMILY (charity 1041235) Latest return: £7k £64 per pupil in the year to August 2025. It reports 6 volunteers. Annual return due 30 June 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
- 13% of pupils eligible for free school meals (median school: council 24%, England 22%)
- Neighbourhood deprivation decile 5 of 10 (1 = most deprived)
- Income deprivation affecting children: decile 6 of 10 (1 = most deprived)
- 28% of adults nearby hold a degree-level qualification
- 75% of nearby homes are owner-occupied
- 16% 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 £449k £4,363 per pupil
- Support staff £86k £836 per pupil
- Buildings and grounds £30k £288 per pupil
- Energy £15k £147 per pupil
- Learning resources £31k £299 per pupil
- Everything else £165k £1,606 per pupil
National context
- In 2024–25 and 2025–26, mainstream school funding per pupil grew by 2 percentage points less than school costs nationally. (IFS, p. 62)
- 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.
- With £19k £186 per pupil in reserve, what would happen if costs rose faster than expected next year? Why ask: Pay awards are set each year by the government after independent advice; the IFS says the picture is tight for schools if they follow forecast earnings growth. (IFS, p. 63)
- How much does the PTA (or friends' association) raise each year, and what does it pay for?
- Which costs does Fawkham Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School expect to rise most next year?
- How does Fawkham 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)
- Is the budget relying on one-off grants or fundraising to balance?
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.
- The Donington-on-Bain School
- Ashwicken Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School
- Langley Fitzurse Church of England Primary School
- Horrington Primary School
- Scout Road Academy
Admissions and catchments for Fawkham Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School on Schools in Reach · All Kent school finances · Schools in Sevenoaks
- 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)