Aston and Cote Church of England Primary School: school finances
Latest full year 2025-26, as a council-run school (CFR return, April to March). Oxfordshire · Primary · Voluntary controlled school
Tight
Holds £10k £53 per pupil in reserve, under 3% of a year's income: little room for surprises.
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 Healthy same as the year before
- 2022-23 Tight reserve under 3% of a year's income
- 2023-24 Heading for deficit spending more than it received, reserve running down
- 2024-25 Healthy reserve between 3% and 8% of a year's income
- 2025-26 Tight reserve under 3% of a year's income
Government funding vs spending per pupil
In 2025-26, government funding was £1.1m £5,659 per pupil and spending £1.3m £6,592 per pupil. Spending was £177k £933 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 | 190.0 | £1.2m £6,211 per pupil | £1.3m £6,592 per pupil | -£72k -£380 per pupil | £10k £53 per pupil |
| 2024-25 | 188.0 | £1.2m £6,193 per pupil | £1.1m £5,818 per pupil | +£71k +£376 per pupil | £82k £438 per pupil |
| 2023-24 | 184.0 | £1.0m £5,545 per pupil | £1.0m £5,559 per pupil | -£3k -£14 per pupil | £12k £64 per pupil |
| 2022-23 | 186.0 | £1.0m £5,514 per pupil | £1.0m £5,594 per pupil | -£15k -£80 per pupil | £14k £77 per pupil |
| 2021-22 | 173.0 | £896k £5,179 per pupil | £922k £5,331 per pupil | -£26k -£152 per pupil | £29k £169 per pupil |
| 2020-21 | 160.0 | £833k £5,208 per pupil | £805k £5,030 per pupil | +£29k +£179 per pupil | £55k £347 per pupil |
| 2019-20 | 151.0 | £786k £5,202 per pupil | £791k £5,237 per pupil | -£5k -£35 per pupil | £27k £178 per pupil |
| 2018-19 | 142.0 | £727k £5,123 per pupil | £717k £5,047 per pupil | +£11k +£76 per pupil | £32k £226 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 | £1.2m £6,211 per pupil | +21% -8% real | £7k | |
| Government funding | £1.1m £5,659 per pupil | +19% -9% real | £6k | |
| Special needs (SEN) funding | £48k £254 per pupil | +182% +115% real | £323 | |
| Pupil premium | £23k £119 per pupil | +213% +138% real | £149 | |
| Money the school raised itself | £105k £552 per pupil | +50% +14% real | £456 | |
| Donations (day-to-day) | £15k £77 per pupil | +43% +8% real | £65 | |
| Donations for buildings and equipment | £25k £132 per pupil | £0 | ||
| Facilities and services | £51k £270 per pupil | +203% +133% real | £208 | |
| Catering income | £23k £120 per pupil | +35% +3% real | £20 | |
| Other DfE grants | £0 £0 per pupil | -100% -100% real | £227 |
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 | £1.3m £6,592 per pupil | +31% -0% real | £7k | |
| Teachers | £599k £3,154 per pupil | +31% -0% real | £3k | |
| Supply staff | £30k £158 per pupil | +1336% +1029% real | £124 | |
| Support staff | £257k £1,354 per pupil | +50% +14% real | £1k | |
| Office and admin staff | £60k £317 per pupil | +13% -14% real | £351 | |
| Premises staff | £21k £110 per pupil | -8% -29% real | £51 | |
| Catering staff | £0 £0 per pupil | £0 | ||
| Other staff costs | £26k £139 per pupil | -33% -49% real | £141 | |
| All staff costs | £979k £5,154 per pupil | +34% +2% real | £5k | |
| Premises | £63k £329 per pupil | +42% +8% real | £279 | |
| Energy | £14k £75 per pupil | +39% +6% real | £85 | |
| Rates, water and other building costs | £104k £549 per pupil | +0% -23% real | £532 | |
| Catering | £62k £325 per pupil | +22% -7% real | £253 | |
| Learning resources | £64k £337 per pupil | +23% -6% real | £350 | |
| Supplies and services | £99k £522 per pupil | +28% -2% real | £579 | |
| Bought-in services | £27k £142 per pupil | +1191% +847% real | £189 |
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 £1.3m £6,592 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
- 2018-19 142.0
- 2019-20 151.0
- 2020-21 160.0
- 2021-22 173.0
- 2022-23 186.0
- 2023-24 184.0
- 2024-25 188.0
- 2025-26 190.0
Money raised by parents
| School year | Raised | Spent |
|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 year to August 2025 | £11k £59 per pupil | £6k £29 per pupil |
| 2024-25 year to August 2024 | £10k £54 per pupil | £12k £62 per pupil |
| 2023-24 year to August 2023 | £11k £60 per pupil | £15k £82 per pupil |
| 2022-23 year to August 2022 | £7k £39 per pupil | £4k £21 per pupil |
| 2021-22 year to August 2021 | £5k £31 per pupil | £5k £30 per pupil |
- FRIENDS OF ASTON AND COTE SCHOOL (FACS) (charity 1032385) Latest return: £11k £59 per pupil in the year to August 2025. It reports 10 volunteers. Annual return due 30 June 2026.
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
- 8% of pupils eligible for free school meals (median school: council 14%, England 22%)
- Neighbourhood deprivation decile 8 of 10 (1 = most deprived)
- Income deprivation affecting children: decile 9 of 10 (1 = most deprived)
- 42% of adults nearby hold a degree-level qualification
- 79% of nearby homes are owner-occupied
- 12% 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 £629k £3,312 per pupil
- Support staff £257k £1,354 per pupil
- Buildings and grounds £63k £329 per pupil
- Energy £14k £75 per pupil
- Learning resources £64k £337 per pupil
- Everything else £225k £1,185 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 £10k £53 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 Aston and Cote Church of England Primary School expect to rise most next year?
- How does Aston and Cote 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)
- 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.
- Stoborough Church of England Primary School
- West Oxford Community Primary School
- Moreton Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School
- Stratton Church of England Primary School
- Kea Community Primary School
Admissions and catchments for Aston and Cote Church of England Primary School on Schools in Reach · All Oxfordshire school finances · Schools in Witney
- 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)