Great Bowden Academy, A Church of England Primary School: school finances
Latest full year 2024-25, as an academy (accounts return, September to August). Leicestershire · Primary · Academy converter
In deficit
In deficit by £10k £71 per pupil, 1% of a year's income: it has spent more over the years than it received.
Why schools go into deficit. Most of a school's money goes on people: over 80% of schools' costs are staff costs. So when pay and other costs rise faster than funding, or a school loses pupils and the money that comes with each one, the budget is squeezed quickly and staffing is the only big thing left to cut. In 2024–25 and 2025–26, mainstream school funding per pupil grew by 2 percentage points less than school costs, partly because rising special needs costs took a large share of the extra money. A deficit usually comes from several of these pressures at once, not one bad decision. (IFS, pp. 62–63)
What helps. Schools in this position usually agree a recovery plan with LEARN ACADEMIES TRUST, often over two or three years, and governors check progress against it each term. The questions further down are a good way to start that conversation.
Status by year
- 2018-19 Healthy reserve between 3% and 8% of a year's income
- 2019-20 In deficit reserve below zero
- 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 In deficit reserve below zero
- 2024-25 In deficit same as the year before
Government funding vs spending per pupil
In 2024-25, government funding was £853k £6,181 per pupil and spending £797k £5,775 per pupil. Government funding was £56k £406 per pupil more than spending.
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 | 138.0 | £903k £6,543 per pupil | £797k £5,775 per pupil | +£106k +£768 per pupil | -£3k -£22 per pupil |
| 2023-24 | 136.0 | £852k £6,265 per pupil | £867k £6,375 per pupil | -£15k -£110 per pupil | -£35k -£257 per pupil |
| 2022-23 | 123.0 | £878k £7,138 per pupil | £887k £7,211 per pupil | -£9k -£73 per pupil | £2k £16 per pupil |
| 2021-22 | 129.0 | £852k £6,605 per pupil | £945k £7,326 per pupil | -£93k -£721 per pupil | £8k £62 per pupil |
| 2020-21 | 135.0 | £844k £6,252 per pupil | £794k £5,881 per pupil | +£50k +£370 per pupil | £28k £207 per pupil |
| 2019-20 | 138.0 | £741k £5,370 per pupil | £859k £6,225 per pupil | -£118k -£855 per pupil | -£1k -£7 per pupil |
| 2018-19 | 135.0 | £712k £5,274 per pupil | £719k £5,326 per pupil | -£7k -£52 per pupil | £25k £185 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 | £903k £6,543 per pupil | +24% -2% real | £7k | |
| Government funding | £853k £6,181 per pupil | +24% -2% real | £7k | |
| Special needs (SEN) funding | £56k £406 per pupil | £342 | ||
| Pupil premium | Not reported in academy accounts | |||
| Money the school raised itself | £48k £348 per pupil | +96% +54% real | £457 | |
| Donations (day-to-day) | £8k £58 per pupil | +93% +55% real | £32 | |
| Donations for buildings and equipment | Not reported in academy accounts | |||
| Facilities and services | £24k £174 per pupil | +691% +510% real | £167 | |
| Catering income | £13k £94 per pupil | -2% -23% real | £2 | |
| Other DfE grants | £10k £72 per pupil | -70% -76% real | £297 | |
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 | £797k £5,775 per pupil | +8% -15% real | £7k | |
| Teachers | £414k £3,000 per pupil | -19% -36% real | £3k | |
| Supply staff | £0 £0 per pupil | £109 | ||
| Support staff | £130k £942 per pupil | +2041% +1555% real | £1k | |
| Office and admin staff | £28k £203 per pupil | -26% -42% real | £380 | |
| Premises staff | £23k £167 per pupil | +61% +27% real | £77 | |
| Catering staff | £0 £0 per pupil | -100% -100% real | £0 | |
| Other staff costs | £24k £174 per pupil | +81% +42% real | £159 | |
| All staff costs | £601k £4,355 per pupil | +6% -17% real | £5k | |
| Premises | £64k £464 per pupil | +57% +23% real | £348 | |
| Energy | £13k £94 per pupil | +114% +66% real | £138 | |
| Rates, water and other building costs | £68k £493 per pupil | +30% +2% real | £587 | |
| Catering | £49k £355 per pupil | +26% -1% real | £262 | |
| Learning resources | £37k £268 per pupil | +72% +35% real | £306 | |
| Supplies and services | £64k £464 per pupil | -12% -31% real | £595 | |
| Bought-in services | £23k £167 per pupil | -55% -65% real | £159 |
Staff costs were 75% 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 £812k £5,887 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
- 2018-19 135.0
- 2019-20 138.0
- 2020-21 135.0
- 2021-22 129.0
- 2022-23 123.0
- 2023-24 136.0
- 2024-25 138.0
Trust central spending
What LEARN ACADEMIES TRUST spent centrally per pupil, on top of this school's own accounts:
- 2018-19 £191
- 2019-20 £188
- 2020-21 £273
- 2021-22 £249
- 2022-23 £276
- 2023-24 £310
- 2024-25 £518
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 year to July 2025 | £8k £56 per pupil | £10k £73 per pupil |
| 2023-24 year to July 2024 | £7k £52 per pupil | £4k £27 per pupil |
| 2022-23 year to July 2023 | £7k £56 per pupil | £15k £122 per pupil |
| 2021-22 year to July 2022 | £5k £37 per pupil | £3k £22 per pupil |
| 2020-21 year to July 2021 | £2k £13 per pupil | £111 £1 per pupil |
- Great Bowden Academy PTA (charity 1045156) Latest return: £8k £56 per pupil in the year to July 2025.
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
- 15% of pupils eligible for free school meals (median school: council 15%, England 22%)
- Neighbourhood deprivation decile 10 of 10 (1 = most deprived)
- Income deprivation affecting children: decile 9 of 10 (1 = most deprived)
- 45% of adults nearby hold a degree-level qualification
- 84% of nearby homes are owner-occupied
- 7% 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 £414k £3,000 per pupil
- Support staff £130k £942 per pupil
- Buildings and grounds £64k £464 per pupil
- Energy £13k £94 per pupil
- Learning resources £37k £268 per pupil
- Everything else £139k £1,007 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)
- 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 the plan to get Great Bowden Academy, A Church of England Primary School back into balance, and how many years will it take? Has LEARN ACADEMIES TRUST agreed it?
- How much of Great Bowden Academy, A Church of England Primary School's funding does LEARN ACADEMIES 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?
- What is driving the deficit: falling pupil numbers, staff costs, special needs support, or something else? Why ask: Over 80% of schools' costs are staff costs. (IFS, p. 63)
- Does the school's reserve figure include its share of the trust's central reserves?
- How does Great Bowden Academy, A 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)
- Will the recovery plan change class sizes, the subjects on offer or the number of support staff?
- 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.
- Eileen Wade Primary School
- Rattlesden Church of England Primary Academy
- Our Lady and St Patrick's Roman Catholic Primary School
- Diss Infant Academy and Nursery
- St Ignatius Catholic Primary School
Admissions and catchments for Great Bowden Academy, A Church of England Primary School on Schools in Reach · All Leicestershire school finances · Schools in Harborough, Oadby and Wigston · LEARN ACADEMIES 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)