Laddingford St Mary's 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
Healthy
Holds £56k £670 per pupil in reserve, 7% of a year's income.
Status by year
- 2018-19 Tight reserve under 3% of a year's income
- 2019-20 Tight same as the year before
- 2020-21 Large reserves reserve 8% or more of a year's income
- 2021-22 Tight reserve under 3% of a year's income
- 2022-23 Heading for deficit spending more than it received, reserve running down
- 2023-24 Tight reserve under 3% of a year's income
- 2024-25 Healthy reserve between 3% and 8% of a year's income
- 2025-26 Healthy same as the year before
Government funding vs spending per pupil
In 2025-26, government funding was £752k £9,058 per pupil and spending £766k £9,224 per pupil. Spending was £14k £167 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 | 83.0 | £788k £9,490 per pupil | £766k £9,224 per pupil | +£22k +£265 per pupil | £56k £670 per pupil |
| 2024-25 | 83.0 | £751k £9,050 per pupil | £727k £8,758 per pupil | +£24k +£293 per pupil | £34k £405 per pupil |
| 2023-24 | 72.0 | £669k £9,285 per pupil | £666k £9,254 per pupil | +£2k +£31 per pupil | £9k £129 per pupil |
| 2022-23 | 80.5 | £613k £7,620 per pupil | £620k £7,703 per pupil | -£7k -£83 per pupil | £7k £88 per pupil |
| 2021-22 | 75.0 | £553k £7,368 per pupil | £583k £7,775 per pupil | -£31k -£407 per pupil | £14k £183 per pupil |
| 2020-21 | 74.0 | £511k £6,905 per pupil | £481k £6,505 per pupil | +£30k +£400 per pupil | £44k £598 per pupil |
| 2019-20 | 80.0 | £512k £6,397 per pupil | £501k £6,259 per pupil | +£11k +£138 per pupil | £15k £184 per pupil |
| 2018-19 | 78.0 | £453k £5,806 per pupil | £475k £6,086 per pupil | -£22k -£280 per pupil | £4k £47 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 | £788k £9,490 per pupil | +63% +25% real | £10k | |
| Government funding | £752k £9,058 per pupil | +62% +23% real | £9k | |
| Special needs (SEN) funding | £67k £812 per pupil | +737% +539% real | £607 | |
| Pupil premium | £21k £256 per pupil | -15% -35% real | £562 | |
| Money the school raised itself | £36k £432 per pupil | +46% +11% real | £458 | |
| Donations (day-to-day) | £5k £62 per pupil | +107% +55% real | £40 | |
| Donations for buildings and equipment | £8k £96 per pupil | £0 | ||
| Facilities and services | £7k £83 per pupil | +22% -7% real | £208 | |
| Catering income | £3k £40 per pupil | -39% -53% real | £67 | |
| Other DfE grants | £35k £418 per pupil | +33% +2% real | £373 |
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 | £766k £9,224 per pupil | +52% +16% real | £10k | |
| Teachers | £357k £4,299 per pupil | +49% +14% real | £4k | |
| Supply staff | £23k £278 per pupil | +170% +106% real | £55 | |
| Support staff | £107k £1,295 per pupil | +42% +8% real | £2k | |
| Office and admin staff | £33k £398 per pupil | +56% +19% real | £579 | |
| Premises staff | £0 £0 per pupil | -100% -100% real | £252 | |
| Catering staff | £0 £0 per pupil | £0 | ||
| Other staff costs | £17k £201 per pupil | +151% +90% real | £384 | |
| All staff costs | £537k £6,473 per pupil | +53% +17% real | £8k | |
| Premises | £26k £308 per pupil | +46% +11% real | £530 | |
| Energy | £8k £95 per pupil | +188% +116% real | £126 | |
| Rates, water and other building costs | £69k £834 per pupil | +77% +36% real | £825 | |
| Catering | £20k £242 per pupil | +18% -10% real | £347 | |
| Learning resources | £39k £464 per pupil | +40% +7% real | £422 | |
| Supplies and services | £133k £1,597 per pupil | +43% +9% real | £825 | |
| Bought-in services | £83k £1,002 per pupil | +48% +13% real | £232 |
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 £766k £9,224 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 78.0
- 2019-20 80.0
- 2020-21 74.0
- 2021-22 75.0
- 2022-23 80.5
- 2023-24 72.0
- 2024-25 83.0
- 2025-26 83.0
Money raised by parents
| School year | Raised | Spent |
|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 year to August 2025 | £10k £123 per pupil | £7k £79 per pupil |
| 2024-25 year to August 2024 | £10k £118 per pupil | £7k £80 per pupil |
| 2023-24 year to August 2023 | £7k £99 per pupil | £4k £62 per pupil |
| 2022-23 year to August 2022 | £7k £89 per pupil | £4k £56 per pupil |
| 2021-22 year to August 2021 | £2k £33 per pupil | £11k £143 per pupil |
- FRIENDS OF LADDINGFORD SCHOOL (charity 1055136) Latest return: £10k £123 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
- 37% 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)
- 34% of adults nearby hold a degree-level qualification
- 80% of nearby homes are owner-occupied
- 5% of nearby homes are social rented
Intake band 4 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 £380k £4,577 per pupil
- Support staff £107k £1,295 per pupil
- Buildings and grounds £26k £308 per pupil
- Energy £8k £95 per pupil
- Learning resources £39k £464 per pupil
- Everything else £206k £2,485 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 many pupils at Laddingford St Mary's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School have an EHCP or need extra support, and how is support above the first £6,000 a year funded? Why ask: Mainstream schools are expected to fund the first £6,000 a year per pupil from their core budget. (IFS, p. 46)
- How much does the PTA (or friends' association) raise each year, and what does it pay for?
- Does the council's top-up money arrive on time and cover what the support actually costs?
- How does Laddingford St Mary's 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 council's high needs budget in deficit, and could that affect the school's top-ups? Why ask: Councils' accumulated high needs deficits are forecast to reach £14 billion by 2028. Statutory override: since 2020-21 DSG deficits are held in a separate unusable reserve rather than met from council general funds. The override runs to the end of 2027-28. Under the February 2026 approach, the High Needs Stability Grant pays 90% of each LA's eligible DSG deficit at 31 March 2026 from autumn 2026, so 2026-27 balances will fall sharply. (IFS, p. 61)
- What training do staff get in supporting pupils with special needs? Why ask: The IFS says reform would likely involve building mainstream schools' ability to support pupils with high needs, for instance through more teacher training. (IFS, p. 61)
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.
- Lark Hall Infant & Nursery Academy
- Saint Joseph's Catholic Primary Voluntary Academy
- Flockton CofE (C) First School
- Weston Point Primary Academy
- St Bartholomews CofE Primary School
Admissions and catchments for Laddingford St Mary's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School on Schools in Reach · All Kent school finances · Schools in Weald of Kent
- 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)