St Oswald's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School: school finances
Latest full year 2025-26, as a council-run school (CFR return, April to March). York · Primary · Voluntary controlled school
Tight
Holds £50k £154 per pupil in reserve, under 3% of a year's income: little room for surprises.
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 Healthy reserve between 3% and 8% of a year's income
- 2023-24 Heading for deficit spending more than it received, reserve running down
- 2024-25 In deficit reserve below zero
- 2025-26 Tight reserve under 3% of a year's income
Government funding vs spending per pupil
In 2025-26, government funding was £2.5m £7,650 per pupil and spending £2.6m £7,919 per pupil. Spending was £88k £269 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 | 328.0 | £2.7m £8,153 per pupil | £2.6m £7,919 per pupil | +£77k +£234 per pupil | £50k £154 per pupil |
| 2024-25 | 312.0 | £2.5m £8,055 per pupil | £2.5m £8,153 per pupil | -£31k -£98 per pupil | -£26k -£85 per pupil |
| 2023-24 | 318.0 | £2.2m £7,035 per pupil | £2.3m £7,385 per pupil | -£111k -£351 per pupil | £4k £13 per pupil |
| 2022-23 | 313.0 | £2.0m £6,518 per pupil | £2.1m £6,863 per pupil | -£108k -£345 per pupil | £116k £369 per pupil |
| 2021-22 | 306.0 | £1.9m £6,288 per pupil | £1.9m £6,272 per pupil | +£5k +£16 per pupil | £224k £731 per pupil |
| 2020-21 | 305.0 | £1.8m £5,937 per pupil | £1.7m £5,723 per pupil | +£65k +£214 per pupil | £219k £718 per pupil |
| 2019-20 | 303.0 | £1.7m £5,716 per pupil | £1.7m £5,647 per pupil | +£21k +£69 per pupil | £154k £507 per pupil |
| 2018-19 | 307.0 | £1.5m £5,046 per pupil | £1.6m £5,248 per pupil | -£62k -£202 per pupil | £133k £432 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 | £2.7m £8,153 per pupil | +62% +23% real | £7k | |
| Government funding | £2.5m £7,650 per pupil | +58% +21% real | £6k | |
| Special needs (SEN) funding | £80k £244 per pupil | +39% +6% real | £282 | |
| Pupil premium | £84k £255 per pupil | +62% +24% real | £243 | |
| Money the school raised itself | £165k £503 per pupil | +136% +80% real | £446 | |
| Donations (day-to-day) | £12k £38 per pupil | +111% +58% real | £23 | |
| Donations for buildings and equipment | £0 £0 per pupil | £0 | ||
| Facilities and services | £78k £237 per pupil | +374% +265% real | £210 | |
| Catering income | £0 £0 per pupil | £70 | ||
| Other DfE grants | £82k £250 per pupil | +20% -9% real | £221 |
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 | £2.6m £7,919 per pupil | +51% +15% real | £7k | |
| Teachers | £1.1m £3,225 per pupil | +63% +24% real | £3k | |
| Supply staff | £5k £14 per pupil | -90% -93% real | £57 | |
| Support staff | £513k £1,564 per pupil | +64% +25% real | £1k | |
| Office and admin staff | £105k £319 per pupil | +149% +90% real | £289 | |
| Premises staff | £0 £0 per pupil | £98 | ||
| Catering staff | £0 £0 per pupil | £0 | ||
| Other staff costs | £67k £203 per pupil | +54% +17% real | £196 | |
| All staff costs | £1.8m £5,380 per pupil | +59% +21% real | £5k | |
| Premises | £335k £1,021 per pupil | +102% +54% real | £365 | |
| Energy | £52k £158 per pupil | +187% +119% real | £79 | |
| Rates, water and other building costs | £299k £910 per pupil | +20% -8% real | £580 | |
| Catering | £180k £550 per pupil | +211% +137% real | £326 | |
| Learning resources | £110k £335 per pupil | +16% -12% real | £326 | |
| Supplies and services | £420k £1,279 per pupil | +119% +67% real | £582 | |
| Bought-in services | £65k £200 per pupil | -24% -42% real | £208 |
Staff costs were 68% 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 £2.6m £7,919 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
- 2018-19 307.0
- 2019-20 303.0
- 2020-21 305.0
- 2021-22 306.0
- 2022-23 313.0
- 2023-24 318.0
- 2024-25 312.0
- 2025-26 328.0
Money raised by parents
| School year | Raised | Spent |
|---|---|---|
| 2026-27 year to August 2026 | £13k | £9k |
| 2025-26 year to August 2025 | £12k £36 per pupil | £7k £21 per pupil |
| 2024-25 year to August 2024 | £7k £21 per pupil | £8k £24 per pupil |
| 2023-24 year to August 2023 | £7k £22 per pupil | £11k £36 per pupil |
| 2022-23 year to August 2022 | £5k £16 per pupil | £3k £10 per pupil |
- FULFORD ST OSWALDS C E PRIMARY SCHOOL PTA (charity 1084129) Latest return: £13k in the year to August 2026. It reports 10 volunteers. Annual return due 30 June 2027.
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
- 14% of pupils eligible for free school meals (median school: council 16%, England 22%)
- Neighbourhood deprivation decile 8 of 10 (1 = most deprived)
- Income deprivation affecting children: decile 4 of 10 (1 = most deprived)
- 44% of adults nearby hold a degree-level qualification
- 83% of nearby homes are owner-occupied
- 7% 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 £1.1m £3,239 per pupil
- Support staff £513k £1,564 per pupil
- Buildings and grounds £335k £1,021 per pupil
- Energy £52k £158 per pupil
- Learning resources £110k £335 per pupil
- Everything else £526k £1,603 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.
- With £50k £154 per pupil in reserve, what would happen if costs rose faster than expected next year? Why ask: Pay awards are set each year by the government after independent advice; the IFS says the picture is tight for schools if they follow forecast earnings growth. (IFS, p. 63)
- How much does the PTA (or friends' association) raise each year, and what does it pay for?
- Which costs does St Oswald's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School expect to rise most next year?
- How does St Oswald's Church of England Voluntary Controlled 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)
- Is the budget relying on one-off grants or fundraising to balance?
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.
- Wootton Primary School
- Our Lady of Compassion Catholic Primary School
- Trenance Learning Academy
- Woodlands Park Primary School
- St Monica's RC Primary School, a Voluntary Academy
Admissions and catchments for St Oswald's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School on Schools in Reach · All York school finances · Schools in York Outer
- 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)