Chorley, the Parish of St Laurence 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
Healthy
Holds £108k £537 per pupil in reserve, 7% of a year's income. It has spent more than it received for 2 years, so watch the trend.
Status by year
- 2018-19 Large reserves reserve 8% or more of a year's income
- 2019-20 Large reserves same as the year before
- 2020-21 Large reserves same as the year before
- 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 £6,424 per pupil and spending £1.5m £7,436 per pupil. Spending was £203k £1,012 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 | 201.0 | £1.5m £7,341 per pupil | £1.5m £7,436 per pupil | -£19k -£95 per pupil | £108k £537 per pupil |
| 2024-25 | 210.5 | £1.4m £6,588 per pupil | £1.4m £6,849 per pupil | -£55k -£261 per pupil | £127k £603 per pupil |
| 2023-24 | 212.0 | £1.3m £5,953 per pupil | £1.2m £5,719 per pupil | +£50k +£234 per pupil | £182k £858 per pupil |
| 2022-23 | 209.0 | £1.1m £5,340 per pupil | £1.1m £5,378 per pupil | -£8k -£38 per pupil | £132k £633 per pupil |
| 2021-22 | 207.0 | £1.1m £5,131 per pupil | £1.1m £5,125 per pupil | +£1k +£6 per pupil | £140k £677 per pupil |
| 2020-21 | 213.0 | £945k £4,436 per pupil | £907k £4,261 per pupil | +£37k +£176 per pupil | £139k £652 per pupil |
| 2019-20 | 209.0 | £960k £4,595 per pupil | £952k £4,555 per pupil | +£8k +£39 per pupil | £102k £486 per pupil |
| 2018-19 | 209.0 | £924k £4,421 per pupil | £940k £4,498 per pupil | -£16k -£78 per pupil | £93k £446 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 | £1.5m £7,341 per pupil | +66% +27% real | £7k | |
| Government funding | £1.3m £6,424 per pupil | +54% +18% real | £6k | |
| Special needs (SEN) funding | £53k £263 per pupil | +3657% +2822% real | £356 | |
| Pupil premium | £63k £314 per pupil | +109% +60% real | £268 | |
| Money the school raised itself | £184k £917 per pupil | +265% +179% real | £312 | |
| Donations (day-to-day) | £7k £33 per pupil | +65% +27% real | £39 | |
| Donations for buildings and equipment | £0 £0 per pupil | £0 | ||
| Facilities and services | £118k £587 per pupil | +524% +373% real | £90 | |
| Catering income | £26k £130 per pupil | +124% +71% real | £8 | |
| Other DfE grants | £49k £243 per pupil | +9% -17% real | £259 |
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 | £1.5m £7,436 per pupil | +65% +26% real | £7k | |
| Teachers | £646k £3,211 per pupil | +55% +18% real | £3k | |
| Supply staff | £51k £254 per pupil | +30% -1% real | £55 | |
| Support staff | £293k £1,456 per pupil | +129% +75% real | £1k | |
| Office and admin staff | £32k £159 per pupil | +47% +12% real | £335 | |
| Premises staff | £27k £134 per pupil | +23% -6% real | £142 | |
| Catering staff | £0 £0 per pupil | £0 | ||
| Other staff costs | £68k £338 per pupil | +90% +44% real | £180 | |
| All staff costs | £1.1m £5,490 per pupil | +69% +29% real | £5k | |
| Premises | £71k £355 per pupil | +47% +12% real | £417 | |
| Energy | £25k £125 per pupil | +64% +25% real | £96 | |
| Rates, water and other building costs | £143k £713 per pupil | +71% +31% real | £576 | |
| Catering | £79k £393 per pupil | +59% +21% real | £297 | |
| Learning resources | £59k £292 per pupil | +95% +48% real | £309 | |
| Supplies and services | £176k £877 per pupil | +47% +12% real | £639 | |
| Bought-in services | £91k £452 per pupil | +29% -1% real | £254 |
Staff costs were 74% 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 £1.5m £7,436 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
- 2019-20 209.0
- 2020-21 213.0
- 2021-22 207.0
- 2022-23 209.0
- 2023-24 212.0
- 2024-25 210.5
- 2025-26 201.0
Income that passed straight through
In 2025-26, this school's income rose by +£89k +£441 per pupil on the year before, and its staff costs by +£89k +£441 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 | £11k £55 per pupil | £11k £55 per pupil |
| 2024-25 year to August 2024 | £7k £33 per pupil | £10k £47 per pupil |
| 2023-24 year to August 2023 | £7k £31 per pupil | £2k £10 per pupil |
| 2022-23 year to August 2022 | £3k £12 per pupil | £2k £10 per pupil |
| 2021-22 year to August 2021 | £1k £6 per pupil | £2k £10 per pupil |
- CHORLEY PARISH CHURCH OF ST LAURENCE C.E. PRIMARY SCHOOL PARENTS TEACHERS AND FRIENDS ASSOCIATION (charity 1040209) Latest return: £11k £55 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
- 17% of pupils eligible for free school meals (median school: council 21%, England 22%)
- Neighbourhood deprivation decile 9 of 10 (1 = most deprived)
- Income deprivation affecting children: decile 9 of 10 (1 = most deprived)
- 38% of adults nearby hold a degree-level qualification
- 86% of nearby homes are owner-occupied
- 4% 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 £697k £3,466 per pupil
- Support staff £293k £1,456 per pupil
- Buildings and grounds £71k £355 per pupil
- Energy £25k £125 per pupil
- Learning resources £59k £292 per pupil
- Everything else £350k £1,742 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 Chorley, the Parish of St Laurence 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.
- The Abbey CofE VA Primary School, Shaftesbury
- The Duchy School Bradninch
- Saint Mary's Catholic Primary School, Loughborough
- Mount Pleasant Lane Primary School
- Our Lady Catholic Primary School
Admissions and catchments for Chorley, the Parish of St Laurence Church of England Primary School on Schools in Reach · All Lancashire school finances · Schools in Chorley
- 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)