Baxenden St John's Church of England Primary School: school finances
Latest full year 2025-26, as a council-run school (CFR return, April to March). Lancashire · Primary · Voluntary aided school
In deficit
In deficit by £9k £45 per pupil, 1% of a year's income: it has spent more over the years than it received.
Why schools go into deficit. Most of a school's money goes on people: over 80% of schools' costs are staff costs. So when pay and other costs rise faster than funding, or a school loses pupils and the money that comes with each one, the budget is squeezed quickly and staffing is the only big thing left to cut. In 2024–25 and 2025–26, mainstream school funding per pupil grew by 2 percentage points less than school costs, partly because rising special needs costs took a large share of the extra money. A deficit usually comes from several of these pressures at once, not one bad decision. (IFS, pp. 62–63)
What helps. Schools in this position usually agree a recovery plan with the council, often over two or three years, and governors check progress against it each term. The questions further down are a good way to start that conversation.
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 Large reserves reserve 8% or more of a year's income
- 2021-22 Healthy reserve between 3% and 8% of a year's income
- 2022-23 Heading for deficit spending more than it received, reserve running down
- 2023-24 In deficit reserve below zero
- 2024-25 In deficit same as the year before
- 2025-26 In deficit same as the year before
Government funding vs spending per pupil
In 2025-26, government funding was £1.2m £5,894 per pupil and spending £1.3m £6,470 per pupil. Spending was £118k £575 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 | 205.0 | £1.4m £6,638 per pupil | £1.3m £6,470 per pupil | +£35k +£168 per pupil | -£9k -£45 per pupil |
| 2024-25 | 207.0 | £1.2m £6,037 per pupil | £1.3m £6,057 per pupil | -£4k -£19 per pupil | -£44k -£211 per pupil |
| 2023-24 | 209.0 | £1.2m £5,558 per pupil | £1.2m £5,870 per pupil | -£65k -£311 per pupil | -£40k -£190 per pupil |
| 2022-23 | 206.0 | £1.1m £5,400 per pupil | £1.2m £5,633 per pupil | -£48k -£232 per pupil | £25k £123 per pupil |
| 2021-22 | 204.0 | £1.1m £5,233 per pupil | £1.1m £5,304 per pupil | -£14k -£71 per pupil | £73k £359 per pupil |
| 2020-21 | 205.0 | £974k £4,752 per pupil | £960k £4,681 per pupil | +£15k +£72 per pupil | £88k £428 per pupil |
| 2019-20 | 205.0 | £917k £4,472 per pupil | £936k £4,564 per pupil | -£19k -£92 per pupil | £73k £356 per pupil |
| 2018-19 | 202.0 | £917k £4,540 per pupil | £888k £4,395 per pupil | +£29k +£144 per pupil | £92k £454 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 £6,638 per pupil | +46% +12% real | £7k | |
| Government funding | £1.2m £5,894 per pupil | +39% +6% real | £6k | |
| Special needs (SEN) funding | £50k £244 per pupil | £251 | ||
| Pupil premium | £25k £123 per pupil | +2% -22% real | £128 | |
| Money the school raised itself | £152k £744 per pupil | +141% +84% real | £462 | |
| Donations (day-to-day) | £0 £0 per pupil recorded | £54 | ||
| Donations for buildings and equipment | £0 £0 per pupil | £0 | ||
| Facilities and services | £77k £377 per pupil | +99% +52% real | £252 | |
| Catering income | £25k £120 per pupil | +33% +2% real | £85 | |
| Other DfE grants | £60k £295 per pupil | +6% -19% real | £277 |
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 | £1.3m £6,470 per pupil | +47% +12% real | £7k | |
| Teachers | £598k £2,918 per pupil | +50% +14% real | £3k | |
| Supply staff | £22k £109 per pupil | +35% +2% real | £45 | |
| Support staff | £251k £1,223 per pupil | +110% +60% real | £1k | |
| Office and admin staff | £46k £227 per pupil | +43% +9% real | £343 | |
| Premises staff | £39k £188 per pupil | +41% +8% real | £92 | |
| Catering staff | £0 £0 per pupil | £0 | ||
| Other staff costs | £74k £362 per pupil | +114% +63% real | £213 | |
| All staff costs | £1.0m £4,909 per pupil | +64% +25% real | £5k | |
| Premises | £60k £291 per pupil | -13% -33% real | £293 | |
| Energy | £20k £100 per pupil | +37% +5% real | £85 | |
| Rates, water and other building costs | £125k £608 per pupil | +31% -0% real | £563 | |
| Catering | £83k £404 per pupil | +36% +4% real | £311 | |
| Learning resources | £77k £375 per pupil | -1% -25% real | £323 | |
| Supplies and services | £135k £659 per pupil | +11% -16% real | £616 | |
| Bought-in services | £41k £200 per pupil | +7% -18% real | £200 |
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 £1.3m £6,470 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
- 2018-19 202.0
- 2019-20 205.0
- 2020-21 205.0
- 2021-22 204.0
- 2022-23 206.0
- 2023-24 209.0
- 2024-25 207.0
- 2025-26 205.0
Income that passed straight through
In 2025-26, this school's income rose by +£111k +£542 per pupil on the year before, and its staff costs by +£84k +£410 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
No registered parents' association found for Baxenden St John's Church of England Primary School. Charities with an income of £5,000 or less a year don't have to register with the Charity Commission, so many schools have an active PTA or friends' group that isn't on the register.
Across England, the typical registered parents' association raised £50 per pupil in 2025-26.
Intake and area
- 8% of pupils eligible for free school meals (median school: council 21%, England 22%)
- Neighbourhood deprivation decile 8 of 10 (1 = most deprived)
- Income deprivation affecting children: decile 8 of 10 (1 = most deprived)
- 33% of adults nearby hold a degree-level qualification
- 92% of nearby homes are owner-occupied
- 1% 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 £621k £3,028 per pupil
- Support staff £251k £1,223 per pupil
- Buildings and grounds £60k £291 per pupil
- Energy £20k £100 per pupil
- Learning resources £77k £375 per pupil
- Everything else £298k £1,453 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.
- What is the plan to get Baxenden St John's Church of England Primary School back into balance, and how many years will it take? Has the council agreed it?
- How much does the PTA (or friends' association) raise each year, and what does it pay for?
- What is driving the deficit: falling pupil numbers, staff costs, special needs support, or something else? Why ask: Over 80% of schools' costs are staff costs. (IFS, p. 63)
- How does Baxenden St John's 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)
- Will the recovery plan change class sizes, the subjects on offer or the number of support staff?
- Is the council giving the school extra help or a loan while it recovers?
- How often do governors see the budget forecast, and how close were last year's forecasts to what happened?
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.
- St Joseph the Worker Catholic Primary School
- St Michael's Church of England Primary School, Alkrington
- Charles Kingsley's Church of England Primary School
- Our Lady Star of the Sea Catholic Primary School
- St John Bosco Catholic Primary School
Admissions and catchments for Baxenden St John's Church of England Primary School on Schools in Reach · All Lancashire school finances · Schools in Hyndburn
- 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
- 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)