St George's Church of England Primary School: school finances
Latest full year 2025-26, as a council-run school (CFR return, April to March). Telford and Wrekin · Primary · Voluntary controlled school
Tight
Holds £100k £179 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 Tight reserve under 3% of a year's income
- 2020-21 Healthy reserve between 3% and 8% of a year's income
- 2021-22 Tight reserve under 3% of a year's income
- 2022-23 Heading for deficit spending more than it received, reserve running down
- 2023-24 Tight reserve under 3% of a year's income
- 2024-25 Tight same as the year before
- 2025-26 Tight same as the year before
Government funding vs spending per pupil
In 2025-26, government funding was £3.6m £6,397 per pupil and spending £3.7m £6,566 per pupil. Spending was £95k £170 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 | 559.0 | £3.7m £6,597 per pupil | £3.7m £6,566 per pupil | +£17k +£30 per pupil | £100k £179 per pupil |
| 2024-25 | 561.5 | £3.4m £6,004 per pupil | £3.4m £5,994 per pupil | +£6k +£10 per pupil | £83k £147 per pupil |
| 2023-24 | 548.5 | £3.2m £5,869 per pupil | £3.2m £5,760 per pupil | +£60k +£109 per pupil | £77k £140 per pupil |
| 2022-23 | 554.5 | £2.9m £5,298 per pupil | £3.0m £5,340 per pupil | -£23k -£42 per pupil | £17k £31 per pupil |
| 2021-22 | 545.5 | £2.8m £5,134 per pupil | £2.9m £5,306 per pupil | -£93k -£171 per pupil | £40k £74 per pupil |
| 2020-21 | 554.0 | £2.7m £4,866 per pupil | £2.6m £4,730 per pupil | +£75k +£136 per pupil | £134k £242 per pupil |
| 2019-20 | 555.5 | £2.5m £4,449 per pupil | £2.5m £4,487 per pupil | -£21k -£39 per pupil | £59k £106 per pupil |
| 2018-19 | 543.0 | £2.3m £4,179 per pupil | £2.3m £4,171 per pupil | +£4k +£8 per pupil | £80k £147 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 | £3.7m £6,597 per pupil | +58% +20% real | £7k | |
| Government funding | £3.6m £6,397 per pupil | +56% +19% real | £7k | |
| Special needs (SEN) funding | £140k £250 per pupil | +346% +238% real | £267 | |
| Pupil premium | £260k £465 per pupil | +63% +24% real | £444 | |
| Money the school raised itself | £129k £231 per pupil | +245% +162% real | £330 | |
| Donations (day-to-day) | £21k £37 per pupil | +1750% +1750% real | £5 | |
| Donations for buildings and equipment | £5k £8 per pupil | £0 | ||
| Facilities and services | £76k £136 per pupil | +157% +97% real | £116 | |
| Catering income | £0 £0 per pupil | £74 | ||
| Other DfE grants | £114k £204 per pupil | +7% -18% real | £186 |
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 | £3.7m £6,566 per pupil | +57% +20% real | £7k | |
| Teachers | £1.9m £3,417 per pupil | +51% +15% real | £3k | |
| Supply staff | £34k £61 per pupil | +190% +118% real | £99 | |
| Support staff | £707k £1,264 per pupil | +74% +33% real | £1k | |
| Office and admin staff | £113k £202 per pupil | +55% +18% real | £298 | |
| Premises staff | £0 £0 per pupil | £144 | ||
| Catering staff | £0 £0 per pupil | £0 | ||
| Other staff costs | £122k £219 per pupil | +71% +30% real | £194 | |
| All staff costs | £2.9m £5,225 per pupil | +58% +21% real | £6k | |
| Premises | £163k £291 per pupil | +83% +40% real | £327 | |
| Energy | £50k £89 per pupil | +51% +16% real | £89 | |
| Rates, water and other building costs | £287k £513 per pupil | +48% +13% real | £627 | |
| Catering | £138k £247 per pupil | +46% +11% real | £333 | |
| Learning resources | £133k £237 per pupil | +68% +28% real | £297 | |
| Supplies and services | £290k £518 per pupil | +46% +11% real | £503 | |
| Bought-in services | £116k £208 per pupil | +5% -20% real | £136 |
Staff costs were 80% 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 £3.7m £6,566 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
- 2018-19 543.0
- 2019-20 555.5
- 2020-21 554.0
- 2021-22 545.5
- 2022-23 554.5
- 2023-24 548.5
- 2024-25 561.5
- 2025-26 559.0
Income that passed straight through
In 2025-26, this school's income rose by +£316k +£566 per pupil on the year before, and its staff costs by +£257k +£459 per pupil. Much of the extra money may have gone straight out again on higher pay, pension and National Insurance costs.
About £2.3 billion of the rise in school funding since 2019–20 was grants to cover higher employer pension and National Insurance costs, not extra spending power. (IFS, p. 50)
Money raised by parents
| School year | Raised | Spent |
|---|---|---|
| 2026-27 year to August 2026 | £5k | £1k |
| 2025-26 year to August 2025 | £11k £20 per pupil | £14k £26 per pupil |
- FRIENDS OF ST GEORGES PTFA (charity 1210303) Latest return: £5k in the year to August 2026. It reports 8 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
- 26% of pupils eligible for free school meals (median school: council 27%, England 22%)
- Neighbourhood deprivation decile 5 of 10 (1 = most deprived)
- Income deprivation affecting children: decile 5 of 10 (1 = most deprived)
- 24% of adults nearby hold a degree-level qualification
- 61% of nearby homes are owner-occupied
- 14% 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 £1.9m £3,479 per pupil
- Support staff £707k £1,264 per pupil
- Buildings and grounds £163k £291 per pupil
- Energy £50k £89 per pupil
- Learning resources £133k £237 per pupil
- Everything else £674k £1,206 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 £100k £179 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 George's Church of England Primary School expect to rise most next year?
- How does St George's 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.
- Pennine Way Primary School
- Berkeley Primary School
- Costessey Primary School
- Oakway Academy
- Birley Primary Academy
Admissions and catchments for St George's Church of England Primary School on Schools in Reach · All Telford and Wrekin school finances · Schools in Telford
- 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)