The Mareham-le-Fen Church of England Primary School: school finances
Latest full year 2025-26, as a council-run school (CFR return, April to March). Lincolnshire · Primary · Voluntary controlled school
Large reserves
Holds £147k £1,889 per pupil in reserve, 18% of a year's income.
Status by year
- 2018-19 Healthy reserve between 3% and 8% of a year's income
- 2019-20 Large reserves reserve 8% or more of a year's income
- 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 Large reserves same as the year before
Government funding vs spending per pupil
In 2025-26, government funding was £786k £10,081 per pupil and spending £768k £9,843 per pupil. Government funding was £19k £238 per pupil more than spending.
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 | 78.0 | £804k £10,304 per pupil | £768k £9,843 per pupil | +£36k +£461 per pupil | £147k £1,889 per pupil |
| 2024-25 | 90.0 | £741k £8,234 per pupil | £719k £7,991 per pupil | +£22k +£243 per pupil | £111k £1,237 per pupil |
| 2023-24 | 93.0 | £704k £7,574 per pupil | £684k £7,351 per pupil | +£21k +£223 per pupil | £90k £962 per pupil |
| 2022-23 | 91.0 | £655k £7,193 per pupil | £672k £7,386 per pupil | -£18k -£193 per pupil | £69k £756 per pupil |
| 2021-22 | 86.0 | £645k £7,499 per pupil | £623k £7,240 per pupil | +£22k +£259 per pupil | £86k £1,004 per pupil |
| 2020-21 | 92.0 | £595k £6,469 per pupil | £574k £6,243 per pupil | +£21k +£227 per pupil | £64k £696 per pupil |
| 2019-20 | 87.0 | £512k £5,882 per pupil | £505k £5,806 per pupil | +£7k +£76 per pupil | £43k £497 per pupil |
| 2018-19 | 90.0 | £469k £5,212 per pupil | £478k £5,316 per pupil | -£9k -£104 per pupil | £37k £407 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 | £804k £10,304 per pupil | +98% +51% real | £10k | |
| Government funding | £786k £10,081 per pupil | +99% +52% real | £10k | |
| Special needs (SEN) funding | £57k £725 per pupil | +407% +286% real | £315 | |
| Pupil premium | £45k £582 per pupil | +125% +72% real | £471 | |
| Money the school raised itself | £17k £223 per pupil | +45% +10% real | £709 | |
| Donations (day-to-day) | £0 £0 per pupil recorded | £30 | ||
| Donations for buildings and equipment | £0 £0 per pupil | £0 | ||
| Facilities and services | £4k £54 per pupil | +6% -19% real | £195 | |
| Catering income | £5k £62 per pupil | +24% -6% real | £90 | |
| Other DfE grants | £32k £412 per pupil | +28% -3% real | £450 |
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 | £768k £9,843 per pupil | +85% +41% real | £10k | |
| Teachers | £312k £3,994 per pupil | +95% +49% real | £5k | |
| Supply staff | £9k £118 per pupil | £188 | ||
| Support staff | £184k £2,355 per pupil | +95% +49% real | £2k | |
| Office and admin staff | £47k £607 per pupil | +64% +25% real | £487 | |
| Premises staff | £0 £0 per pupil | £147 | ||
| Catering staff | £0 £0 per pupil | £0 | ||
| Other staff costs | £40k £518 per pupil | +145% +88% real | £391 | |
| All staff costs | £596k £7,647 per pupil | +99% +52% real | £8k | |
| Premises | £35k £447 per pupil | +51% +15% real | £485 | |
| Energy | £7k £85 per pupil | +42% +8% real | £163 | |
| Rates, water and other building costs | £59k £759 per pupil | +46% +11% real | £822 | |
| Catering | £30k £386 per pupil | +80% +38% real | £425 | |
| Learning resources | £42k £538 per pupil | +58% +21% real | £449 | |
| Supplies and services | £70k £902 per pupil | +46% +11% real | £1k | |
| Bought-in services | £23k £298 per pupil | +20% -9% real | £439 |
Staff costs were 78% 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 £768k £9,843 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 90.0
- 2019-20 87.0
- 2020-21 92.0
- 2021-22 86.0
- 2022-23 91.0
- 2023-24 93.0
- 2024-25 90.0
- 2025-26 78.0
Pupil numbers fell from 90.0 to 78.0 (13% fewer) over the years shown.
Schools are mostly funded per pupil, so fewer pupils means less money. Costs do not fall in step: a class with a few fewer pupils still needs a teacher. Primary schools in England have already lost about 100,000 pupils (3%) between 2019–20 and 2024–25, and are expected to lose over 300,000 more (about 8%) by 2030–31. Secondary numbers are expected to start falling from about 2026–27. The IFS points out that money is only saved if schools actually reduce what they spend, such as staff or the number of schools. That is why a well-run school with falling numbers can still find its budget under pressure. (IFS, pp. 19, 64)
Money raised by parents
| School year | Raised | Spent |
|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 year to August 2025 | £2k £27 per pupil | £314 £4 per pupil |
| 2024-25 year to August 2024 | £1k £13 per pupil | £685 £8 per pupil |
| 2023-24 year to August 2023 | £1k £13 per pupil | £685 £7 per pupil |
| 2022-23 year to August 2022 | £1k £14 per pupil | £1k £13 per pupil |
| 2021-22 year to August 2021 | £872 £10 per pupil | £1k £13 per pupil |
- MAREHAM LE FEN SCHOOL PTA (charity 1110322) Latest return: £2k £27 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
- 26% of pupils eligible for free school meals (median school: council 28%, England 22%)
- Neighbourhood deprivation decile 3 of 10 (1 = most deprived)
- Income deprivation affecting children: decile 4 of 10 (1 = most deprived)
- 24% of adults nearby hold a degree-level qualification
- 72% of nearby homes are owner-occupied
- 8% 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 £321k £4,113 per pupil
- Support staff £184k £2,355 per pupil
- Buildings and grounds £35k £447 per pupil
- Energy £7k £85 per pupil
- Learning resources £42k £538 per pupil
- Everything else £180k £2,305 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 The Mareham-le-Fen Church of England Primary School's £147k £1,889 per pupil reserve being kept for, and is there a timetable to spend it?
- How many pupils does The Mareham-le-Fen Church of England Primary School expect in each year group over the next three years? Why ask: Primary pupil numbers in England are expected to fall by over 300,000 (about 8%) by 2030–31. (IFS, p. 19)
- How many pupils at The Mareham-le-Fen 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?
- Is the school planning to merge classes, share staff or work more closely with another school?
- Does the council's top-up money arrive on time and cover what the support actually costs?
- How does The Mareham-le-Fen 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.
- Delabole Primary School
- Bishop Pursglove CofE (A) Primary School
- Newtown Primary School (High Peak Federation)
- Warmingham CofE Primary School
- Tintagel Primary School
Admissions and catchments for The Mareham-le-Fen Church of England Primary School on Schools in Reach · All Lincolnshire school finances · Schools in Louth and Horncastle
- 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)