Bishop Rawstorne Church of England Academy: school finances
Latest full year 2024-25, as an academy (accounts return, September to August). Lancashire · Secondary · Academy converter
Large reserves
Holds £1.3m £1,378 per pupil in reserve, 20% of a year's income.
Status by year
- 2018-19 Large reserves reserve 5% or more of a year's income
- 2019-20 Large reserves same as the year before
- 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 Large reserves same as the year before
- 2024-25 Large reserves same as the year before
Government funding vs spending per pupil
In 2024-25, government funding was £6.7m £6,923 per pupil and spending £6.9m £7,174 per pupil. Spending was £242k £251 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 963.0 | £6.7m £6,936 per pupil | £6.9m £7,174 per pupil | -£230k -£239 per pupil | £1.3m £1,378 per pupil |
| 2023-24 | 971.0 | £6.4m £6,597 per pupil | £6.3m £6,441 per pupil | +£152k +£157 per pupil | £1.6m £1,655 per pupil |
| 2022-23 | 962.0 | £5.4m £5,584 per pupil | £6.0m £6,230 per pupil | -£621k -£646 per pupil | £1.5m £1,564 per pupil |
| 2021-22 | 956.0 | £5.7m £6,006 per pupil | £5.6m £5,810 per pupil | +£188k +£197 per pupil | £2.1m £2,224 per pupil |
| 2020-21 | 960.0 | £5.4m £5,590 per pupil | £5.0m £5,257 per pupil | +£319k +£332 per pupil | £1.9m £2,019 per pupil |
| 2019-20 | 951.0 | £5.5m £5,774 per pupil | £5.1m £5,331 per pupil | +£421k +£443 per pupil | £1.6m £1,702 per pupil |
| 2018-19 | 936.0 | £5.1m £5,487 per pupil | £5.1m £5,432 per pupil | +£52k +£56 per pupil | £1.2m £1,308 per pupil |
Where the money comes from
| Line | 2024-25 | Trend per pupil | Change per pupil since 2018-19 | Similar schools (median per pupil) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total income | £6.7m £6,936 per pupil | +26% -1% real | £7k | |
| Government funding | £6.7m £6,923 per pupil | +45% +14% real | £7k | |
| Special needs (SEN) funding | £217k £225 per pupil | +923% +693% real | £45 | |
| Pupil premium | Not reported in academy accounts | |||
| Money the school raised itself | £160k £166 per pupil | -35% -49% real | £351 | |
| Donations (day-to-day) | £4k £4 per pupil | -78% -83% real | £22 | |
| Donations for buildings and equipment | Not reported in academy accounts | |||
| Facilities and services | £77k £80 per pupil | -4% -24% real | £29 | |
| Catering income | £18k £19 per pupil | -47% -60% real | £244 | |
| Other DfE grants | £0 £0 per pupil | £4 | ||
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)
Academy accounts don't report pupil premium as a separate line, so it is shown as not reported rather than as zero.
Where it goes
| Line | 2024-25 | Trend per pupil | Change per pupil since 2018-19 | Similar schools (median per pupil) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total spending | £6.9m £7,174 per pupil | +32% +4% real | £7k | |
| Teachers | £4.5m £4,672 per pupil | +50% +18% real | £4k | |
| Supply staff | £161k £167 per pupil | +19% -6% real | £79 | |
| Support staff | £559k £580 per pupil | +99% +57% real | £538 | |
| Office and admin staff | £404k £420 per pupil | -21% -38% real | £448 | |
| Premises staff | £0 £0 per pupil | £218 | ||
| Catering staff | £0 £0 per pupil | £0 | ||
| Other staff costs | £34k £35 per pupil | +30% +3% real | £61 | |
| All staff costs | £5.7m £5,874 per pupil | +43% +12% real | £5k | |
| Premises | £319k £331 per pupil | +66% +31% real | £407 | |
| Energy | £110k £114 per pupil | +73% +35% real | £129 | |
| Rates, water and other building costs | £247k £256 per pupil | +52% +20% real | £435 | |
| Catering | £38k £39 per pupil | +200% +135% real | £204 | |
| Learning resources | £531k £551 per pupil | -23% -40% real | £571 | |
| Supplies and services | £686k £712 per pupil | -18% -35% real | £799 | |
| Bought-in services | £48k £50 per pupil | +11% -12% real | £116 |
Staff costs were 82% of this school's spending in 2024-25. Across England, over 80% of schools' costs are staff costs. (IFS, p. 63)
In 2025-26 prices, this school spent £7.0m £7,313 per pupil in 2024-25. Across England, secondary schools are expected to spend about £7,800 per pupil in 2025–26, including sixth forms. (IFS, p. 7)
Academy figures exclude the trust's central spending on its schools, so they can look lower than a council-run school's. See the trust's central spending below.
Pupils by year
- 2018-19 936.0
- 2019-20 951.0
- 2020-21 960.0
- 2021-22 956.0
- 2022-23 962.0
- 2023-24 971.0
- 2024-25 963.0
Trust central spending
What BISHOP RAWSTORNE CHURCH OF ENGLAND ACADEMY TRUST spent centrally per pupil, on top of this school's own accounts:
- 2018-19 £0
- 2019-20 £0
- 2020-21 £0
- 2021-22 £0
- 2022-23 £0
- 2023-24 £0
- 2024-25 £0
These are cash figures. The IFS average below is in 2025-26 prices.
On average, academy trusts spent £510 per pupil centrally in 2023–24, money that is not counted in their individual schools' own spending. (IFS, p. 56)
Money raised by parents
| School year | Raised | Spent |
|---|---|---|
| 2011-12 year to August 2012 | £108 | £9k |
| 2010-11 year to August 2011 | £6k | £5k |
| 2009-10 year to August 2010 | £3k | £104 |
- BISHOP RAWSTORNE CHURCH OF ENGLAND LANGUAGE COLLEGE PARENT TEACHER AND FRIENDS ASSOCIATION (charity 1031300) Had a registered PTA until 2014.
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 21%, England 22%)
- Neighbourhood deprivation decile 9 of 10 (1 = most deprived)
- Income deprivation affecting children: decile 10 of 10 (1 = most deprived)
- 44% of adults nearby hold a degree-level qualification
- 85% of nearby homes are owner-occupied
- 4% 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 2024-25, here is roughly where it went, with the amount for each pupil.
- Teachers £4.7m £4,839 per pupil
- Support staff £559k £580 per pupil
- Buildings and grounds £319k £331 per pupil
- Energy £110k £114 per pupil
- Learning resources £531k £551 per pupil
- Everything else £730k £758 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)
- 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 Bishop Rawstorne Church of England Academy's £1.3m £1,378 per pupil reserve being kept for, and is there a timetable to spend it?
- How much of Bishop Rawstorne Church of England Academy's funding does BISHOP RAWSTORNE CHURCH OF ENGLAND ACADEMY TRUST keep centrally each year, and what does the school get for it? Why ask: Academy trusts spent £510 per pupil centrally in 2023–24 on average. (IFS, p. 56)
- 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?
- Does the school's reserve figure include its share of the trust's central reserves?
- How does Bishop Rawstorne Church of England Academy'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?
- Can the trust move money between its schools, and has this school given or received any?
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.
- Rugby High School
- Spalding Grammar School
- Upton Hall School FCJ
- Lancaster Girls' Grammar School
- St Benedict's Catholic College
Admissions and catchments for Bishop Rawstorne Church of England Academy on Schools in Reach · All Lancashire school finances · Schools in South Ribble · BISHOP RAWSTORNE CHURCH OF ENGLAND ACADEMY TRUST
- 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)