Shepherdswell 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
Healthy
Holds £90k £421 per pupil in reserve, 6% of a year's income.
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 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 Healthy reserve between 3% and 8% of a year's income
Government funding vs spending per pupil
In 2025-26, government funding was £1.3m £6,267 per pupil and spending £1.4m £6,743 per pupil. Spending was £102k £477 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 | 213.0 | £1.4m £6,641 per pupil | £1.4m £6,743 per pupil | -£22k -£102 per pupil | £90k £421 per pupil |
| 2024-25 | 207.0 | £1.3m £6,475 per pupil | £1.3m £6,403 per pupil | +£15k +£72 per pupil | £111k £538 per pupil |
| 2023-24 | 206.0 | £1.2m £5,693 per pupil | £1.2m £5,925 per pupil | -£48k -£232 per pupil | £96k £468 per pupil |
| 2022-23 | 202.0 | £1.1m £5,638 per pupil | £1.1m £5,514 per pupil | +£25k +£124 per pupil | £144k £714 per pupil |
| 2021-22 | 204.0 | £1.1m £5,339 per pupil | £1.1m £5,255 per pupil | +£17k +£84 per pupil | £119k £584 per pupil |
| 2020-21 | 201.0 | £1.0m £5,080 per pupil | £984k £4,896 per pupil | +£37k +£184 per pupil | £102k £508 per pupil |
| 2019-20 | 203.0 | £1.0m £4,972 per pupil | £966k £4,761 per pupil | +£43k +£211 per pupil | £65k £320 per pupil |
| 2018-19 | 209.0 | £978k £4,679 per pupil | £1.0m £4,811 per pupil | -£28k -£132 per pupil | £22k £106 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 | £1.4m £6,641 per pupil | +42% +8% real | £7k | |
| Government funding | £1.3m £6,267 per pupil | +41% +8% real | £6k | |
| Special needs (SEN) funding | £85k £401 per pupil | +902% +671% real | £225 | |
| Pupil premium | £71k £334 per pupil | +151% +92% real | £263 | |
| Money the school raised itself | £113k £529 per pupil | +97% +50% real | £423 | |
| Donations (day-to-day) | £15k £71 per pupil | -50% -62% real | £38 | |
| Donations for buildings and equipment | £0 £0 per pupil | £0 | ||
| Facilities and services | £52k £243 per pupil | +91% +46% real | £152 | |
| Catering income | £18k £85 per pupil | £66 | ||
| Other DfE grants | £50k £233 per pupil | -5% -27% real | £249 |
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 | £1.4m £6,743 per pupil | +40% +7% real | £7k | |
| Teachers | £676k £3,175 per pupil | +29% -2% real | £3k | |
| Supply staff | £11k £49 per pupil | £44 | ||
| Support staff | £273k £1,281 per pupil | +141% +84% real | £1k | |
| Office and admin staff | £82k £386 per pupil | +41% +8% real | £345 | |
| Premises staff | £20k £95 per pupil | -41% -55% real | £169 | |
| Catering staff | £0 £0 per pupil | £0 | ||
| Other staff costs | £42k £199 per pupil | -24% -42% real | £221 | |
| All staff costs | £1.1m £5,093 per pupil | +44% +10% real | £5k | |
| Premises | £84k £396 per pupil | +0% -24% real | £353 | |
| Energy | £12k £54 per pupil | +15% -13% real | £98 | |
| Rates, water and other building costs | £125k £588 per pupil | +58% +20% real | £604 | |
| Catering | £59k £275 per pupil | +122% +70% real | £328 | |
| Learning resources | £76k £354 per pupil | +21% -8% real | £323 | |
| Supplies and services | £135k £632 per pupil | +35% +3% real | £645 | |
| Bought-in services | £39k £182 per pupil | +42% +8% real | £222 |
Staff costs were 76% 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 £1.4m £6,743 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
- 2018-19 209.0
- 2019-20 203.0
- 2020-21 201.0
- 2021-22 204.0
- 2022-23 202.0
- 2023-24 206.0
- 2024-25 207.0
- 2025-26 213.0
Income that passed straight through
In 2025-26, this school's income rose by +£74k +£348 per pupil on the year before, and its staff costs by +£80k +£376 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 | £10k £46 per pupil | £9k £43 per pupil |
- SHEPHERDSWELL CHURCH OF ENGLAND PTA (charity 1207401) Latest return: £10k £46 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
- 16% of pupils eligible for free school meals (median school: council 24%, England 22%)
- Neighbourhood deprivation decile 3 of 10 (1 = most deprived)
- Income deprivation affecting children: decile 3 of 10 (1 = most deprived)
- 26% of adults nearby hold a degree-level qualification
- 73% of nearby homes are owner-occupied
- 19% of nearby homes are social rented
Intake band 3 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 £687k £3,224 per pupil
- Support staff £273k £1,281 per pupil
- Buildings and grounds £84k £396 per pupil
- Energy £12k £54 per pupil
- Learning resources £76k £354 per pupil
- Everything else £305k £1,432 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 Shepherdswell 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)
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.
- Sedgefield Primary School
- Preston Grange Primary School
- The Holy Family Catholic Primary School
- Eastlands Primary School
- Alwyn Infant School
Admissions and catchments for Shepherdswell Church of England Primary School on Schools in Reach · All Kent school finances · Schools in Dover and Deal
- 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)