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The Wickford Church of England School: school finances

Latest full year 2024-25, as an academy (accounts return, September to August). Essex · Primary · Academy converter

Large reserves

Holds £194k £1,407 per pupil in reserve, 20% of a year's income.

Status by year

  1. 2018-19 Large reserves reserve 8% or more of a year's income
  2. 2019-20 Healthy reserve between 3% and 8% of a year's income
  3. 2020-21 Large reserves reserve 8% or more of a year's income
  4. 2021-22 Large reserves same as the year before
  5. 2022-23 Tight reserve under 3% of a year's income
  6. 2023-24 Tight same as the year before
  7. 2024-25 Large reserves reserve 8% or more of a year's income
Present and share

School presentation · PTFA presentation

School Wrapped: The Wickford Church of England School's year in money · PTFA Wrapped

Government funding vs spending per pupil

In 2024-25, government funding was £852k £6,196 per pupil and spending £909k £6,611 per pupil. Spending was £57k £415 per pupil more than government funding; the difference came from other income, such as lettings, catering or donations, or from the school's reserve.

Government funding and spending per pupil, 2018-19 to 2024-25Government funding and spending per pupil each year, 2018-19 to 2024-25. 2018-19: funding £6k, spending £7k; 2019-20: funding £6k, spending £6k; 2020-21: funding £6k, spending £6k; 2021-22: funding £6k, spending £7k; 2022-23: funding £6k, spending £7k; 2023-24: funding £6k, spending £7k; 2024-25: funding £6k, spending £7k£4,000£5,000£6,000£7,000£8,0002018-192020-212022-232024-25Gov. fundingSpendingSimilarGov. fundingSpending

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

Reserve per pupil, 2018-19 to 2024-25Reserve per pupil at the end of each year. 2018-19: £2k; 2019-20: £401; 2020-21: £2k; 2021-22: £2k; 2022-23: £0; 2023-24: £0; 2024-25: £0£0£1,000£2,0002018-192020-212022-232024-25ReserveSimilarReserve

Real terms: in 2025-26 prices (HM Treasury GDP deflator, October 2026).

Each year's figures, newest first
YearPupilsIncomeSpendingIn-year balanceReserve at year end
2024-25137.5£992k £7,215 per pupil£909k £6,611 per pupil+£83k +£604 per pupil£0 £0 per pupil
2023-24130.0£1.3m £9,792 per pupil£932k £7,169 per pupil+£341k +£2,623 per pupil£0 £0 per pupil
2022-23128.0£1.2m £9,633 per pupil£913k £7,133 per pupil+£320k +£2,500 per pupil£0 £0 per pupil
2021-22140.5£1.1m £7,658 per pupil£1.0m £7,189 per pupil+£66k +£470 per pupil£295k £2,100 per pupil
2020-21133.5£909k £6,809 per pupil£801k £6,000 per pupil+£108k +£809 per pupil£251k £1,880 per pupil
2019-20139.5£963k £6,903 per pupil£856k £6,136 per pupil+£107k +£767 per pupil£56k £401 per pupil
2018-19142.0£989k £6,965 per pupil£958k £6,746 per pupil+£31k +£218 per pupil£245k £1,725 per pupil

Where the money comes from

Income in 2024-25, with the trend per pupil since 2018-19
Line2024-25Trend per pupilChange per pupil since 2018-19Similar schools (median per pupil)
Total income£992k £7,215 per pupil+4% -19% real£7k
Government funding£852k £6,196 per pupil-1% -22% real£6k
Special needs (SEN) funding£12k £87 per pupil+1143% +889% real£232
Pupil premiumNot reported in academy accounts
Money the school raised itself£104k £756 per pupil+6% -16% real£459
Donations (day-to-day)£46k £335 per pupil-49% -60% real£58
Donations for buildings and equipmentNot reported in academy accounts
Facilities and services£49k £356 per pupil+4986% +3933% real£212
Catering income£9k £65 per pupil£80
Other DfE grants£103k £749 per pupil+48% +16% real£318

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

Spending in 2024-25, with the trend per pupil since 2018-19
Line2024-25Trend per pupilChange per pupil since 2018-19Similar schools (median per pupil)
Total spending£909k £6,611 per pupil-2% -23% real£7k
Teachers£406k £2,953 per pupil+2% -20% real£3k
Supply staff£0 £0 per pupil£74
Support staff£134k £975 per pupil-27% -42% real£1k
Office and admin staff£65k £473 per pupil+5% -17% real£358
Premises staff£22k £160 per pupil-1% -22% real£142
Catering staff£47k £342 per pupil+31% +3% real£0
Other staff costs£33k £240 per pupil-47% -58% real£149
All staff costs£638k £4,640 per pupil-10% -29% real£5k
Premises£60k £436 per pupil+47% +16% real£319
Energy£16k £116 per pupil-13% -31% real£119
Rates, water and other building costs£135k £982 per pupil+6% -17% real£599
Catering£67k £487 per pupil+21% -4% real£358
Learning resources£36k £262 per pupil+55% +22% real£337
Supplies and services£76k £553 per pupil+31% +3% real£640
Bought-in services£11k £80 per pupil+4% -18% real£229

Staff costs were 70% 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 £927k £6,738 per pupil in 2024-25. Across England, primary schools are expected to spend about £7,000 per pupil in 2025–26. (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

  1. 2018-19 142.0
  2. 2019-20 139.5
  3. 2020-21 133.5
  4. 2021-22 140.5
  5. 2022-23 128.0
  6. 2023-24 130.0
  7. 2024-25 137.5

Trust central spending

What HEARTS ACADEMY TRUST spent centrally per pupil, on top of this school's own accounts:

  1. 2018-19 £912
  2. 2019-20 £812
  3. 2020-21 £832
  4. 2021-22 £927
  5. 2022-23 £911
  6. 2023-24 £1k
  7. 2024-25 £1k

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

No registered parents' association found for The Wickford Church of England 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

academy · Primary · Mixed · HEARTS ACADEMY TRUST (multi-academy trust) · Church of England

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.

National context

Questions to ask the school

Useful for parents, governors and PTFA committees.

  1. What is The Wickford Church of England School's £194k £1,407 per pupil reserve being kept for, and is there a timetable to spend it?
  2. How much of The Wickford Church of England School's funding does HEARTS 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)
  3. How much does the PTA (or friends' association) raise each year, and what does it pay for?
  4. Is any of it already committed, for example to building work or to cover a planned overspend?
  5. Does the school's reserve figure include its share of the trust's central reserves?
  6. How does The Wickford Church of England 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)
  7. Could some be spent on current pupils without putting future years at risk?
  8. 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.

Compare side by side

Admissions and catchments for The Wickford Church of England School on Schools in Reach · All Essex school finances · Schools in Rayleigh and Wickford · HEARTS ACADEMY TRUST