Brabourne Church of England Primary School: school finances
Latest full year 2025-26, as a council-run school (CFR return, April to March). Kent · Primary · Voluntary controlled school
Large reserves
Holds £85k £813 per pupil in reserve, 10% of a year's income.
Status by year
- 2018-19 Large reserves reserve 8% or more of a year's income
- 2019-20 Healthy reserve between 3% and 8% of a year's income
- 2020-21 Healthy same as the year before
- 2021-22 Heading for deficit spending more than it received, reserve running down
- 2022-23 Healthy reserve between 3% and 8% of a year's income
- 2023-24 Healthy same as the year before
- 2024-25 Large reserves reserve 8% or more of a year's income
- 2025-26 Large reserves same as the year before
Government funding vs spending per pupil
In 2025-26, government funding was £743k £7,148 per pupil and spending £802k £7,710 per pupil. Spending was £58k £562 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 | 104.0 | £808k £7,768 per pupil | £802k £7,710 per pupil | +£6k +£58 per pupil | £85k £813 per pupil |
| 2024-25 | 105.0 | £786k £7,482 per pupil | £756k £7,195 per pupil | +£30k +£287 per pupil | £79k £749 per pupil |
| 2023-24 | 102.0 | £707k £6,928 per pupil | £681k £6,673 per pupil | +£26k +£254 per pupil | £49k £476 per pupil |
| 2022-23 | 104.0 | £641k £6,164 per pupil | £636k £6,118 per pupil | +£5k +£46 per pupil | £23k £217 per pupil |
| 2021-22 | 104.0 | £596k £5,728 per pupil | £605k £5,813 per pupil | -£9k -£84 per pupil | £18k £171 per pupil |
| 2020-21 | 104.0 | £548k £5,266 per pupil | £556k £5,346 per pupil | -£8k -£79 per pupil | £27k £255 per pupil |
| 2019-20 | 96.0 | £530k £5,522 per pupil | £537k £5,594 per pupil | -£7k -£72 per pupil | £35k £362 per pupil |
| 2018-19 | 92.0 | £514k £5,587 per pupil | £509k £5,528 per pupil | +£5k +£59 per pupil | £42k £453 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 £7,768 per pupil | +39% +6% real | £8k | |
| Government funding | £743k £7,148 per pupil | +34% +2% real | £7k | |
| Special needs (SEN) funding | £75k £717 per pupil | +188% +119% real | £306 | |
| Pupil premium | £9k £83 per pupil | -37% -52% real | £118 | |
| Money the school raised itself | £84k £810 per pupil | +207% +134% real | £502 | |
| Donations (day-to-day) | £31k £301 per pupil | +301% +204% real | £49 | |
| Donations for buildings and equipment | £0 £0 per pupil | £0 | ||
| Facilities and services | £33k £319 per pupil | +254% +170% real | £237 | |
| Catering income | £407 £4 per pupil | £95 | ||
| Other DfE grants | £34k £324 per pupil | -7% -29% real | £364 |
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 | £802k £7,710 per pupil | +39% +6% real | £8k | |
| Teachers | £422k £4,054 per pupil | +53% +17% real | £4k | |
| Supply staff | £4k £34 per pupil | -74% -80% real | £84 | |
| Support staff | £170k £1,639 per pupil | +73% +32% real | £1k | |
| Office and admin staff | £44k £427 per pupil | +17% -11% real | £380 | |
| Premises staff | £3k £30 per pupil | £0 | ||
| Catering staff | £0 £0 per pupil | £0 | ||
| Other staff costs | £7k £70 per pupil | +1% -23% real | £219 | |
| All staff costs | £650k £6,248 per pupil | +49% +14% real | £6k | |
| Premises | £28k £269 per pupil | +11% -15% real | £364 | |
| Energy | £7k £70 per pupil | +8% -18% real | £108 | |
| Rates, water and other building costs | £50k £479 per pupil | +32% +0% real | £626 | |
| Catering | £23k £218 per pupil | +63% +25% real | £321 | |
| Learning resources | £30k £286 per pupil | -45% -58% real | £381 | |
| Supplies and services | £67k £648 per pupil | -11% -32% real | £791 | |
| Bought-in services | £28k £266 per pupil | +94% +49% real | £326 |
Staff costs were 81% 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 £802k £7,710 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 92.0
- 2019-20 96.0
- 2020-21 104.0
- 2021-22 104.0
- 2022-23 104.0
- 2023-24 102.0
- 2024-25 105.0
- 2025-26 104.0
Money raised by parents
| School year | Raised | Spent |
|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 year to August 2025 | £9k £85 per pupil | £10k £97 per pupil |
| 2024-25 year to August 2024 | £9k £87 per pupil | £4k £35 per pupil |
| 2023-24 year to August 2023 | £10k £96 per pupil | £12k £120 per pupil |
| 2022-23 year to August 2022 | £7k £67 per pupil | £8k £75 per pupil |
| 2021-22 year to August 2021 | £2k £19 per pupil | £9k £83 per pupil |
- BRABOURNE CHURCH OF ENGLAND PRIMARY SCHOOL PARENT AND TEACHER ASSOCIATION (charity 1082333) Latest return: £9k £85 per pupil in the year to August 2025.
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 24%, England 22%)
- Neighbourhood deprivation decile 8 of 10 (1 = most deprived)
- Income deprivation affecting children: decile 10 of 10 (1 = most deprived)
- 43% of adults nearby hold a degree-level qualification
- 85% of nearby homes are owner-occupied
- 2% 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 £425k £4,088 per pupil
- Support staff £170k £1,639 per pupil
- Buildings and grounds £28k £269 per pupil
- Energy £7k £70 per pupil
- Learning resources £30k £286 per pupil
- Everything else £141k £1,358 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 Brabourne Church of England Primary School's £85k £813 per pupil reserve being kept for, and is there a timetable to spend it?
- How many pupils at Brabourne Church of England 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?
- Is any of it already committed, for example to building work or to cover a planned overspend?
- Does the council's top-up money arrive on time and cover what the support actually costs?
- How does Brabourne 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?
- 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)
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.
- Stanion Church of England (Aided) Primary School
- Bealings School
- Horsley Church of England Primary School
- Bretherton Endowed Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School
- Ranby CofE Primary School
Admissions and catchments for Brabourne Church of England Primary School on Schools in Reach · All Kent school finances · Schools in Ashford
- 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)