Long Marston Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School: school finances
Latest full year 2025-26, as a council-run school (CFR return, April to March). North Yorkshire · Primary · Voluntary controlled school
Healthy
Holds £29k £573 per pupil in reserve, 6% of a year's income.
Status by year
- 2018-19 In deficit reserve below zero
- 2019-20 In deficit same as the year before
- 2020-21 Healthy reserve between 3% and 8% of a year's income
- 2021-22 Healthy same as the year before
- 2022-23 Large reserves reserve 8% or more of a year's income
- 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 £441k £8,638 per pupil and spending £514k £10,086 per pupil. Spending was £74k £1,448 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 | 51.0 | £488k £9,574 per pupil | £514k £10,086 per pupil | -£26k -£511 per pupil | £29k £573 per pupil |
| 2024-25 | 43.0 | £483k £11,240 per pupil | £472k £10,984 per pupil | +£11k +£256 per pupil | £55k £1,286 per pupil |
| 2023-24 | 46.0 | £418k £9,078 per pupil | £467k £10,161 per pupil | -£50k -£1,083 per pupil | £44k £963 per pupil |
| 2022-23 | 38.0 | £452k £11,884 per pupil | £380k £10,001 per pupil | +£72k +£1,883 per pupil | £94k £2,476 per pupil |
| 2021-22 | 45.0 | £386k £8,588 per pupil | £380k £8,435 per pupil | +£7k +£153 per pupil | £23k £501 per pupil |
| 2020-21 | 50.0 | £370k £7,410 per pupil | £333k £6,651 per pupil | +£38k +£758 per pupil | £16k £313 per pupil |
| 2019-20 | 43.0 | £323k £7,503 per pupil | £289k £6,730 per pupil | +£33k +£773 per pupil | -£22k -£518 per pupil |
| 2018-19 | 26.0 | £288k £11,075 per pupil | £306k £11,765 per pupil | -£18k -£691 per pupil | -£56k -£2,135 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 | £488k £9,574 per pupil | -14% -34% real | £11k | |
| Government funding | £441k £8,638 per pupil | -13% -33% real | £11k | |
| Special needs (SEN) funding | £0 £0 per pupil | -100% -100% real | £311 | |
| Pupil premium | £12k £229 per pupil | +65% +25% real | £378 | |
| Money the school raised itself | £48k £936 per pupil | -20% -39% real | £536 | |
| Donations (day-to-day) | £637 £12 per pupil | -92% -94% real | £0 | |
| Donations for buildings and equipment | £0 £0 per pupil | £0 | ||
| Facilities and services | £11k £209 per pupil | +20800% +20800% real | £164 | |
| Catering income | £5k £98 per pupil | -46% -59% real | £109 | |
| Other DfE grants | £24k £470 per pupil | -44% -57% real | £565 |
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 | £514k £10,086 per pupil | -14% -35% real | £11k | |
| Teachers | £233k £4,566 per pupil | +1% -23% real | £5k | |
| Supply staff | £47k £913 per pupil | +93% +47% real | £121 | |
| Support staff | £65k £1,266 per pupil | +13% -14% real | £2k | |
| Office and admin staff | £26k £517 per pupil | +0% -24% real | £589 | |
| Premises staff | £0 £0 per pupil | £203 | ||
| Catering staff | £0 £0 per pupil | £0 | ||
| Other staff costs | £21k £413 per pupil | -15% -35% real | £437 | |
| All staff costs | £396k £7,769 per pupil | +8% -18% real | £8k | |
| Premises | £24k £479 per pupil | -37% -52% real | £562 | |
| Energy | £7k £128 per pupil | -17% -37% real | £194 | |
| Rates, water and other building costs | £43k £852 per pupil | -23% -41% real | £900 | |
| Catering | £26k £507 per pupil | -22% -40% real | £514 | |
| Learning resources | £34k £660 per pupil | +1% -23% real | £548 | |
| Supplies and services | £50k £977 per pupil | -51% -62% real | £1k | |
| Bought-in services | £13k £251 per pupil | -80% -85% real | £414 |
Staff costs were 77% 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 £514k £10,086 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 26.0
- 2019-20 43.0
- 2020-21 50.0
- 2021-22 45.0
- 2022-23 38.0
- 2023-24 46.0
- 2024-25 43.0
- 2025-26 51.0
Money raised by parents
- LONG MARSTON PARENT TEACHER FRIEND ASSOCIATION (charity 1220069) Had a registered PTA until an earlier year.
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
- 22% of pupils eligible for free school meals (median school: council 15%, England 22%)
- Neighbourhood deprivation decile 6 of 10 (1 = most deprived)
- Income deprivation affecting children: decile 8 of 10 (1 = most deprived)
- 45% of adults nearby hold a degree-level qualification
- 75% of nearby homes are owner-occupied
- 10% 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 £279k £5,479 per pupil
- Support staff £65k £1,266 per pupil
- Buildings and grounds £24k £479 per pupil
- Energy £7k £128 per pupil
- Learning resources £34k £660 per pupil
- Everything else £106k £2,075 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)
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 Long Marston 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)
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.
- Altarnun Primary School
- Bradwell Junior School
- Port Isaac Academy
- Thorndon Church of England Primary School
- Lovington Church of England Primary School
Admissions and catchments for Long Marston Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School on Schools in Reach · All North Yorkshire school finances · Schools in Wetherby and Easingwold
- 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)