Combe St Nicholas Church of England VA Primary School: school finances
Latest full year 2025-26, as a council-run school (CFR return, April to March). Somerset · Primary · Voluntary aided school
Large reserves
Holds £193k £1,652 per pupil in reserve, 22% of a year's income.
Status by year
- 2018-19 Healthy reserve between 3% and 8% of a year's income
- 2019-20 Large reserves reserve 8% or more of a year's income
- 2020-21 Large reserves same as the year before
- 2021-22 Healthy reserve between 3% and 8% of a year's income
- 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 Large reserves same as the year before
Government funding vs spending per pupil
In 2025-26, government funding was £792k £6,769 per pupil and spending £918k £7,848 per pupil. Spending was £126k £1,079 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 | 117.0 | £890k £7,608 per pupil | £918k £7,848 per pupil | -£28k -£240 per pupil | £193k £1,652 per pupil |
| 2024-25 | 102.0 | £855k £8,387 per pupil | £779k £7,641 per pupil | +£76k +£746 per pupil | £221k £2,170 per pupil |
| 2023-24 | 96.0 | £775k £8,072 per pupil | £729k £7,589 per pupil | +£46k +£482 per pupil | £145k £1,513 per pupil |
| 2022-23 | 91.5 | £730k £7,981 per pupil | £667k £7,294 per pupil | +£63k +£688 per pupil | £99k £1,082 per pupil |
| 2021-22 | 104.0 | £602k £5,792 per pupil | £635k £6,110 per pupil | -£33k -£318 per pupil | £36k £347 per pupil |
| 2020-21 | 94.0 | £624k £6,640 per pupil | £615k £6,547 per pupil | +£9k +£93 per pupil | £69k £735 per pupil |
| 2019-20 | 108.0 | £632k £5,851 per pupil | £607k £5,625 per pupil | +£24k +£226 per pupil | £60k £559 per pupil |
| 2018-19 | 119.0 | £621k £5,215 per pupil | £637k £5,351 per pupil | -£16k -£136 per pupil | £36k £302 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 | £890k £7,608 per pupil | +46% +11% real | £8k | |
| Government funding | £792k £6,769 per pupil | +46% +11% real | £7k | |
| Special needs (SEN) funding | £24k £209 per pupil | +850% +621% real | £328 | |
| Pupil premium | £23k £193 per pupil | +130% +75% real | £137 | |
| Money the school raised itself | £98k £839 per pupil | +47% +12% real | £576 | |
| Donations (day-to-day) | £11k £94 per pupil | -66% -74% real | £34 | |
| Donations for buildings and equipment | £0 £0 per pupil | £0 | ||
| Facilities and services | £23k £193 per pupil | -33% -49% real | £152 | |
| Catering income | £31k £269 per pupil | £95 | ||
| Other DfE grants | £39k £331 per pupil | -6% -29% real | £342 |
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 | £918k £7,848 per pupil | +47% +12% real | £8k | |
| Teachers | £356k £3,041 per pupil | +49% +14% real | £3k | |
| Supply staff | £5k £42 per pupil | +24% -7% real | £87 | |
| Support staff | £127k £1,082 per pupil | +20% -8% real | £1k | |
| Office and admin staff | £44k £373 per pupil | +42% +8% real | £408 | |
| Premises staff | £26k £220 per pupil | +165% +102% real | £135 | |
| Catering staff | £0 £0 per pupil | £0 | ||
| Other staff costs | £149k £1,272 per pupil | +66% +27% real | £201 | |
| All staff costs | £684k £5,846 per pupil | +45% +10% real | £6k | |
| Premises | £86k £734 per pupil | +274% +186% real | £406 | |
| Energy | £10k £85 per pupil | +49% +15% real | £117 | |
| Rates, water and other building costs | £42k £361 per pupil | +58% +20% real | £752 | |
| Catering | £27k £229 per pupil | +75% +33% real | £393 | |
| Learning resources | £50k £425 per pupil | -17% -37% real | £378 | |
| Supplies and services | £99k £845 per pupil | +0% -24% real | £687 | |
| Bought-in services | £44k £373 per pupil | +24% -6% real | £213 |
Staff costs were 74% 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 £918k £7,848 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
- 2018-19 119.0
- 2019-20 108.0
- 2020-21 94.0
- 2021-22 104.0
- 2022-23 91.5
- 2023-24 96.0
- 2024-25 102.0
- 2025-26 117.0
Money raised by parents
No registered parents' association found for Combe St Nicholas Church of England VA Primary School. Charities with an income of £5,000 or less a year don't have to register with the Charity Commission, so many schools have an active PTA or friends' group that isn't on the register.
Across England, the typical registered parents' association raised £50 per pupil in 2025-26.
Intake and area
- 7% of pupils eligible for free school meals (median school: council 17%, England 22%)
- Neighbourhood deprivation decile 5 of 10 (1 = most deprived)
- Income deprivation affecting children: decile 8 of 10 (1 = most deprived)
- 36% of adults nearby hold a degree-level qualification
- 80% of nearby homes are owner-occupied
- 6% 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 £361k £3,083 per pupil
- Support staff £127k £1,082 per pupil
- Buildings and grounds £86k £734 per pupil
- Energy £10k £85 per pupil
- Learning resources £50k £425 per pupil
- Everything else £285k £2,439 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 Combe St Nicholas Church of England VA Primary School's £193k £1,652 per pupil reserve being kept for, and is there a timetable to spend it?
- 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?
- How does Combe St Nicholas Church of England VA 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)
- Could some be spent on current pupils without putting future years at risk?
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.
- Shoscombe Church School
- Ugborough Primary School
- North Cave Church of England Primary School
- Morland Area CofE Primary School
- Penny Bridge CofE School
Admissions and catchments for Combe St Nicholas Church of England VA Primary School on Schools in Reach · All Somerset school finances · Schools in Yeovil
- 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
- 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)