Whalton Church of England Aided Primary School: school finances
Latest full year 2025-26, as a council-run school (CFR return, April to March). Northumberland · Primary · Voluntary aided school
Healthy
Holds £18k £773 per pupil in reserve, 4% of a year's income.
Status by year
- 2018-19 Healthy reserve between 3% and 8% of a year's income
- 2019-20 In deficit reserve below zero
- 2020-21 In deficit same as the year before
- 2021-22 In deficit same as the year before
- 2022-23 In deficit same as the year before
- 2023-24 Tight reserve under 3% of a year's income
- 2024-25 Tight 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 £467k £20,298 per pupil and spending £465k £20,217 per pupil. Government funding was £2k £81 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 | 23.0 | £481k £20,891 per pupil | £465k £20,217 per pupil | +£16k +£675 per pupil | £18k £773 per pupil |
| 2024-25 | 30.0 | £475k £15,837 per pupil | £478k £15,927 per pupil | -£3k -£90 per pupil | £2k £75 per pupil |
| 2023-24 | 39.0 | £433k £11,098 per pupil | £401k £10,282 per pupil | +£32k +£816 per pupil | £5k £127 per pupil |
| 2022-23 | 41.0 | £410k £9,994 per pupil | £400k £9,765 per pupil | +£9k +£229 per pupil | -£27k -£656 per pupil |
| 2021-22 | 51.0 | £367k £7,199 per pupil | £380k £7,449 per pupil | -£13k -£250 per pupil | -£36k -£711 per pupil |
| 2020-21 | 47.0 | £367k £7,811 per pupil | £357k £7,590 per pupil | +£10k +£221 per pupil | -£24k -£500 per pupil |
| 2019-20 | 46.0 | £367k £7,986 per pupil | £426k £9,268 per pupil | -£59k -£1,282 per pupil | -£34k -£737 per pupil |
| 2018-19 | 49.0 | £366k £7,476 per pupil | £372k £7,585 per pupil | -£5k -£109 per pupil | £25k £512 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 | £481k £20,891 per pupil | +179% +113% real | £16k | |
| Government funding | £467k £20,298 per pupil | +199% +128% real | £15k | |
| Special needs (SEN) funding | £51k £2,201 per pupil | +1633% +1226% real | £372 | |
| Pupil premium | £6k £246 per pupil | -24% -42% real | £162 | |
| Money the school raised itself | £14k £594 per pupil | -15% -35% real | £950 | |
| Donations (day-to-day) | £2k £69 per pupil | +527% +393% real | £24 | |
| Donations for buildings and equipment | £0 £0 per pupil | £0 | ||
| Facilities and services | £444 £19 per pupil | £290 | ||
| Catering income | £7k £313 per pupil | +24% -5% real | £176 | |
| Other DfE grants | £24k £1,043 per pupil | +74% +33% real | £894 |
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 | £465k £20,217 per pupil | +167% +103% real | £17k | |
| Teachers | £218k £9,482 per pupil | +192% +123% real | £7k | |
| Supply staff | £17k £754 per pupil | +240% +159% real | £470 | |
| Support staff | £63k £2,718 per pupil | +273% +185% real | £2k | |
| Office and admin staff | £14k £621 per pupil | +66% +27% real | £960 | |
| Premises staff | £18k £761 per pupil | +203% +131% real | £402 | |
| Catering staff | £0 £0 per pupil | -100% -100% real | £0 | |
| Other staff costs | £3k £133 per pupil | -59% -69% real | £467 | |
| All staff costs | £315k £13,713 per pupil | +176% +110% real | £12k | |
| Premises | £46k £2,017 per pupil | +332% +230% real | £926 | |
| Energy | £13k £584 per pupil | +191% +121% real | £294 | |
| Rates, water and other building costs | £26k £1,135 per pupil | +43% +9% real | £1k | |
| Catering | £8k £347 per pupil | -27% -44% real | £750 | |
| Learning resources | £33k £1,454 per pupil | +150% +91% real | £942 | |
| Supplies and services | £77k £3,353 per pupil | +148% +89% real | £2k | |
| Bought-in services | £40k £1,760 per pupil | +146% +88% real | £841 |
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 £465k £20,217 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 49.0
- 2019-20 46.0
- 2020-21 47.0
- 2021-22 51.0
- 2022-23 41.0
- 2023-24 39.0
- 2024-25 30.0
- 2025-26 23.0
Pupil numbers fell from 49.0 to 23.0 (53% 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 | £1k £53 per pupil | £297 £13 per pupil |
| 2024-25 year to August 2024 | £2k £53 per pupil | £3k £95 per pupil |
| 2023-24 year to August 2023 | £2k £46 per pupil | £3k £83 per pupil |
| 2022-23 year to August 2022 | £3k £72 per pupil | £3k £76 per pupil |
| 2021-22 year to August 2021 | £3k £53 per pupil | £109 £2 per pupil |
- WHALTON SCHOOL ASSOCIATION (charity 1047216) Latest return: £1k £53 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
- 9% of pupils eligible for free school meals (median school: council 19%, England 22%)
- Neighbourhood deprivation decile 8 of 10 (1 = most deprived)
- Income deprivation affecting children: decile 10 of 10 (1 = most deprived)
- 46% of adults nearby hold a degree-level qualification
- 78% of nearby homes are owner-occupied
- 5% of nearby homes are social rented
Intake band 1 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 £235k £10,236 per pupil
- Support staff £63k £2,718 per pupil
- Buildings and grounds £46k £2,017 per pupil
- Energy £13k £584 per pupil
- Learning resources £33k £1,454 per pupil
- Everything else £74k £3,208 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 many pupils does Whalton Church of England Aided 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 Whalton Church of England Aided 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 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 Whalton Church of England Aided 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)
- Has the council talked about reducing places, merging or closing schools in this area? Why ask: The IFS notes savings from falling numbers only come if staff or the number of schools are reduced. (IFS, p. 64)
- Is the council's high needs budget in deficit, and could that affect the school's top-ups? Why ask: Councils' accumulated high needs deficits are forecast to reach £14 billion by 2028. Statutory override: since 2020-21 DSG deficits are held in a separate unusable reserve rather than met from council general funds. The override runs to the end of 2027-28. Under the February 2026 approach, the High Needs Stability Grant pays 90% of each LA's eligible DSG deficit at 31 March 2026 from autumn 2026, so 2026-27 balances will fall sharply. (IFS, p. 61)
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.
- Coverack Primary School
- Whitfield CofE Primary School
- Woodland Primary School
- Bolton by Bowland Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School
- Alanbrooke Academy
Admissions and catchments for Whalton Church of England Aided Primary School on Schools in Reach · All Northumberland school finances · Schools in Hexham
- 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)