Ripley Endowed Church of England School: school finances
Latest full year 2025-26, as a council-run school (CFR return, April to March). North Yorkshire · Primary · Voluntary controlled school
Large reserves
Holds £52k £891 per pupil in reserve, 9% of a year's income.
Status by year
- 2018-19 Healthy reserve between 3% and 8% of a year's income
- 2019-20 Healthy same as the year before
- 2020-21 Healthy same as the year before
- 2021-22 In deficit reserve below zero
- 2022-23 Tight reserve under 3% of a year's income
- 2023-24 In deficit reserve below zero
- 2024-25 In deficit same as the year before
- 2025-26 Large reserves reserve 8% or more of a year's income
Government funding vs spending per pupil
In 2025-26, government funding was £534k £9,213 per pupil and spending £528k £9,108 per pupil. Government funding was £6k £105 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 | 58.0 | £587k £10,124 per pupil | £528k £9,108 per pupil | +£59k +£1,016 per pupil | £52k £891 per pupil |
| 2024-25 | 56.0 | £480k £8,563 per pupil | £469k £8,384 per pupil | +£10k +£179 per pupil | -£7k -£130 per pupil |
| 2023-24 | 44.0 | £421k £9,565 per pupil | £439k £9,983 per pupil | -£18k -£418 per pupil | -£17k -£393 per pupil |
| 2022-23 | 34.0 | £489k £14,381 per pupil | £443k £13,042 per pupil | +£46k +£1,339 per pupil | £1k £33 per pupil |
| 2021-22 | 44.0 | £392k £8,916 per pupil | £451k £10,260 per pupil | -£59k -£1,344 per pupil | -£44k -£1,010 per pupil |
| 2020-21 | 49.0 | £372k £7,596 per pupil | £379k £7,726 per pupil | -£6k -£129 per pupil | £15k £300 per pupil |
| 2019-20 | 52.0 | £406k £7,806 per pupil | £416k £7,999 per pupil | -£10k -£193 per pupil | £21k £405 per pupil |
| 2018-19 | 63.0 | £463k £7,353 per pupil | £450k £7,147 per pupil | +£13k +£207 per pupil | £31k £494 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 | £587k £10,124 per pupil | +38% +5% real | £10k | |
| Government funding | £534k £9,213 per pupil | +36% +4% real | £9k | |
| Special needs (SEN) funding | £15k £259 per pupil | +250% +170% real | £438 | |
| Pupil premium | £12k £209 per pupil | +171% +107% real | £243 | |
| Money the school raised itself | £53k £911 per pupil | +57% +20% real | £577 | |
| Donations (day-to-day) | £16k £279 per pupil | +141% +84% real | £37 | |
| Donations for buildings and equipment | £0 £0 per pupil | £0 | ||
| Facilities and services | £0 £0 per pupil | -100% -100% real | £169 | |
| Catering income | £12k £199 per pupil | +6% -19% real | £104 | |
| Other DfE grants | £35k £608 per pupil | +38% +5% real | £489 |
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 | £528k £9,108 per pupil | +27% -3% real | £10k | |
| Teachers | £234k £4,032 per pupil | +39% +6% real | £5k | |
| Supply staff | £15k £256 per pupil | +29% -2% real | £131 | |
| Support staff | £60k £1,039 per pupil | +3% -22% real | £1k | |
| Office and admin staff | £12k £214 per pupil | -42% -56% real | £493 | |
| Premises staff | £0 £0 per pupil | £2 | ||
| Catering staff | £0 £0 per pupil | £0 | ||
| Other staff costs | £5k £93 per pupil | -40% -54% real | £295 | |
| All staff costs | £332k £5,726 per pupil | +21% -8% real | £8k | |
| Premises | £36k £627 per pupil | +73% +32% real | £532 | |
| Energy | £7k £128 per pupil | +117% +64% real | £143 | |
| Rates, water and other building costs | £72k £1,242 per pupil | +43% +9% real | £797 | |
| Catering | £34k £586 per pupil | +37% +4% real | £458 | |
| Learning resources | £63k £1,087 per pupil | +46% +11% real | £569 | |
| Supplies and services | £87k £1,507 per pupil | +28% -2% real | £1k | |
| Bought-in services | £19k £327 per pupil | +0% -23% real | £303 |
Staff costs were 63% 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 £528k £9,108 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 63.0
- 2019-20 52.0
- 2020-21 49.0
- 2021-22 44.0
- 2022-23 34.0
- 2023-24 44.0
- 2024-25 56.0
- 2025-26 58.0
Pupil numbers fell from 63.0 to 58.0 (8% 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 £43 per pupil | £2k £34 per pupil |
| 2024-25 year to August 2024 | £1k £24 per pupil | £970 £17 per pupil |
| 2023-24 year to August 2023 | £1k £32 per pupil | £1k £25 per pupil |
| 2022-23 year to August 2022 | £2k £67 per pupil | £2k £47 per pupil |
| 2021-22 year to August 2021 | £1k £25 per pupil | £884 £20 per pupil |
- FRIENDS OF RIPLEY ENDOWED SCHOOL (charity 1116803) Latest return: £2k £43 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
- 14% of pupils eligible for free school meals (median school: council 15%, England 22%)
- Neighbourhood deprivation decile 8 of 10 (1 = most deprived)
- Income deprivation affecting children: decile 6 of 10 (1 = most deprived)
- 42% of adults nearby hold a degree-level qualification
- 77% of nearby homes are owner-occupied
- 7% 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 £249k £4,288 per pupil
- Support staff £60k £1,039 per pupil
- Buildings and grounds £36k £627 per pupil
- Energy £7k £128 per pupil
- Learning resources £63k £1,087 per pupil
- Everything else £112k £1,939 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 Ripley Endowed Church of England School's £52k £891 per pupil reserve being kept for, and is there a timetable to spend it?
- How many pupils does Ripley Endowed Church of England 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 Ripley Endowed Church of England 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 Ripley Endowed Church of England 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.
- Ashdon Primary School
- Moor First School
- Normanby Primary School
- Hennock Community Primary School
- Windlesham Village Infant School
Admissions and catchments for Ripley Endowed Church of England School on Schools in Reach · All North Yorkshire school finances · Schools in Skipton and Ripon
- 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)