Holy Family Roman Catholic and Church of England College: school finances
Latest full year 2025-26, as a council-run school (CFR return, April to March). Rochdale · Secondary · Voluntary aided school
Large reserves
Holds £325k £421 per pupil in reserve, 5% of a year's income.
Status by year
- 2018-19 Healthy reserve between 3% and 5% of a year's income
- 2019-20 Large reserves reserve 5% or more of a year's income
- 2020-21 Large reserves same as the year before
- 2021-22 Large reserves same as the year before
- 2022-23 Large reserves same as the year before
- 2023-24 Healthy reserve between 3% and 5% of a year's income
- 2024-25 Healthy same as the year before
- 2025-26 Large reserves reserve 5% or more of a year's income
Government funding vs spending per pupil
In 2025-26, government funding was £6.1m £7,902 per pupil and spending £6.4m £8,292 per pupil. Spending was £301k £390 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 | 772.0 | £6.5m £8,374 per pupil | £6.4m £8,292 per pupil | +£63k +£82 per pupil | £325k £421 per pupil |
| 2024-25 | 763.0 | £6.0m £7,920 per pupil | £6.1m £7,932 per pupil | -£9k -£12 per pupil | £262k £343 per pupil |
| 2023-24 | 753.0 | £5.9m £7,780 per pupil | £5.9m £7,824 per pupil | -£33k -£44 per pupil | £271k £360 per pupil |
| 2022-23 | 750.0 | £5.2m £6,895 per pupil | £5.2m £6,903 per pupil | -£6k -£8 per pupil | £304k £406 per pupil |
| 2021-22 | 750.0 | £4.8m £6,462 per pupil | £4.9m £6,589 per pupil | -£95k -£127 per pupil | £311k £414 per pupil |
| 2020-21 | 736.0 | £4.3m £5,875 per pupil | £4.3m £5,819 per pupil | +£41k +£56 per pupil | £406k £551 per pupil |
| 2019-20 | 719.0 | £4.4m £6,142 per pupil | £4.2m £5,830 per pupil | +£224k +£312 per pupil | £364k £507 per pupil |
| 2018-19 | 682.0 | £4.0m £5,854 per pupil | £4.1m £6,065 per pupil | -£144k -£211 per pupil | £140k £205 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 | £6.5m £8,374 per pupil | +43% +9% real | £8k | |
| Government funding | £6.1m £7,902 per pupil | +46% +12% real | £8k | |
| Special needs (SEN) funding | £362k £469 per pupil | +173% +108% real | £171 | |
| Pupil premium | £219k £284 per pupil | +28% -2% real | £258 | |
| Money the school raised itself | £406k £526 per pupil | +14% -13% real | £306 | |
| Donations (day-to-day) | £49k £64 per pupil | +21% -7% real | £16 | |
| Donations for buildings and equipment | £0 £0 per pupil | £0 | ||
| Facilities and services | £16k £21 per pupil | -74% -80% real | £66 | |
| Catering income | £304k £393 per pupil | +20% -8% real | £83 | |
| Other DfE grants | £140k £181 per pupil | +2162% +1710% real | £9 |
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 | £6.4m £8,292 per pupil | +37% +4% real | £8k | |
| Teachers | £3.5m £4,556 per pupil | +52% +16% real | £5k | |
| Supply staff | £162k £210 per pupil | +17% -11% real | £96 | |
| Support staff | £513k £665 per pupil | +22% -6% real | £869 | |
| Office and admin staff | £259k £335 per pupil | +16% -12% real | £455 | |
| Premises staff | £170k £221 per pupil | -1% -24% real | £261 | |
| Catering staff | £196k £254 per pupil | +60% +22% real | £0 | |
| Other staff costs | £350k £453 per pupil | +27% -3% real | £90 | |
| All staff costs | £4.8m £6,219 per pupil | +42% +8% real | £6k | |
| Premises | £292k £378 per pupil | -10% -31% real | £487 | |
| Energy | £107k £138 per pupil | +55% +19% real | £129 | |
| Rates, water and other building costs | £570k £738 per pupil | +25% -5% real | £536 | |
| Catering | £367k £475 per pupil | +34% +2% real | £184 | |
| Learning resources | £482k £624 per pupil | +42% +8% real | £417 | |
| Supplies and services | £679k £880 per pupil | +34% +2% real | £734 | |
| Bought-in services | £70k £90 per pupil | -24% -42% real | £214 |
Staff costs were 75% 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 £6.4m £8,292 per pupil in 2025-26. Across England, secondary schools are expected to spend about £7,800 per pupil in 2025–26, including sixth forms. (IFS, p. 7)
Pupils by year
- 2018-19 682.0
- 2019-20 719.0
- 2020-21 736.0
- 2021-22 750.0
- 2022-23 750.0
- 2023-24 753.0
- 2024-25 763.0
- 2025-26 772.0
Money raised by parents
No registered parents' association found for Holy Family Roman Catholic and Church of England College. 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
- 21% of pupils eligible for free school meals (median school: council 30%, England 22%)
- Neighbourhood deprivation decile 4 of 10 (1 = most deprived)
- Income deprivation affecting children: decile 4 of 10 (1 = most deprived)
- 22% of adults nearby hold a degree-level qualification
- 62% of nearby homes are owner-occupied
- 18% 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 £3.7m £4,766 per pupil
- Support staff £513k £665 per pupil
- Buildings and grounds £292k £378 per pupil
- Energy £107k £138 per pupil
- Learning resources £482k £624 per pupil
- Everything else £1.3m £1,721 per pupil
National context
- Secondary pupil numbers in England are expected to fall by about 100,000 (4%) by 2030–31, starting from about 2026–27. (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 Holy Family Roman Catholic and Church of England College's £325k £421 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 Holy Family Roman Catholic and Church of England College'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.
- Lostock Hall Academy
- Broadland High Ormiston Academy
- Wadham School
- Carterton Community College
- The Reach Free School
Admissions and catchments for Holy Family Roman Catholic and Church of England College on Schools in Reach · All Rochdale school finances · Schools in Heywood and Middleton North
- 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)