St James Church of England Primary Academy: school finances
Latest full year 2024-25, as an academy (accounts return, September to August). Medway · Primary · Academy sponsor led
Large reserves
Holds £112k £624 per pupil in reserve, 11% of a year's income.
Status by year
- 2018-19 Large reserves reserve 8% 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 £1.2m £6,744 per pupil and spending £1.1m £6,333 per pupil. Government funding was £74k £411 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 | 180.0 | £1.0m £5,572 per pupil | £1.1m £6,333 per pupil | -£137k -£761 per pupil | £99k £550 per pupil |
| 2023-24 | 181.0 | £1.2m £6,691 per pupil | £1.1m £6,022 per pupil | +£121k +£669 per pupil | £315k £1,740 per pupil |
| 2022-23 | 191.0 | £1.1m £5,660 per pupil | £990k £5,183 per pupil | +£91k +£476 per pupil | £273k £1,429 per pupil |
| 2021-22 | 192.0 | £965k £5,026 per pupil | £872k £4,542 per pupil | +£93k +£484 per pupil | £242k £1,260 per pupil |
| 2020-21 | 168.5 | £903k £5,359 per pupil | £826k £4,902 per pupil | +£77k +£457 per pupil | £190k £1,128 per pupil |
| 2019-20 | 161.0 | £882k £5,478 per pupil | £781k £4,851 per pupil | +£101k +£627 per pupil | £158k £981 per pupil |
| 2018-19 | 155.5 | £1.2m £7,788 per pupil | £1.2m £7,576 per pupil | +£33k +£212 per pupil | £104k £669 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 | £1.0m £5,572 per pupil | -28% -44% real | £7k | |
| Government funding | £1.2m £6,744 per pupil | +37% +8% real | £7k | |
| Special needs (SEN) funding | £48k £267 per pupil | +734% +548% real | £257 | |
| Pupil premium | Not reported in academy accounts | |||
| Money the school raised itself | £14k £78 per pupil | -85% -88% real | £259 | |
| Donations (day-to-day) | £1k £6 per pupil | -81% -86% real | £12 | |
| Donations for buildings and equipment | Not reported in academy accounts | |||
| Facilities and services | £4k £22 per pupil | £104 | ||
| Catering income | £7k £39 per pupil | +50% +21% real | £58 | |
| Other DfE grants | £59k £328 per pupil | -39% -52% real | £241 | |
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 | £1.1m £6,333 per pupil | -16% -34% real | £7k | |
| Teachers | £580k £3,222 per pupil | +62% +27% real | £3k | |
| Supply staff | £1k £6 per pupil | -90% -92% real | £135 | |
| Support staff | £269k £1,494 per pupil | +28% +1% real | £1k | |
| Office and admin staff | £73k £406 per pupil | +26% -1% real | £350 | |
| Premises staff | £46k £256 per pupil | +5% -18% real | £197 | |
| Catering staff | £0 £0 per pupil | £0 | ||
| Other staff costs | £8k £44 per pupil | -60% -68% real | £211 | |
| All staff costs | £931k £5,172 per pupil | +42% +12% real | £5k | |
| Premises | £65k £361 per pupil | -86% -89% real | £369 | |
| Energy | £9k £50 per pupil | -30% -45% real | £130 | |
| Rates, water and other building costs | £52k £289 per pupil | -12% -31% real | £623 | |
| Catering | £26k £144 per pupil | +40% +11% real | £331 | |
| Learning resources | £15k £83 per pupil | -84% -88% real | £295 | |
| Supplies and services | £92k £511 per pupil | -53% -63% real | £585 | |
| Bought-in services | £28k £156 per pupil | -50% -60% real | £164 |
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 £1.2m £6,455 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
- 2018-19 155.5
- 2019-20 161.0
- 2020-21 168.5
- 2021-22 192.0
- 2022-23 191.0
- 2023-24 181.0
- 2024-25 180.0
Pupil numbers fell from 155.5 to 180.0 (16% fewer) over the years shown.
Schools are mostly funded per pupil, so fewer pupils means less money. Costs do not fall in step: a class with a few fewer pupils still needs a teacher. Primary schools in England have already lost about 100,000 pupils (3%) between 2019–20 and 2024–25, and are expected to lose over 300,000 more (about 8%) by 2030–31. Secondary numbers are expected to start falling from about 2026–27. The IFS points out that money is only saved if schools actually reduce what they spend, such as staff or the number of schools. That is why a well-run school with falling numbers can still find its budget under pressure. (IFS, pp. 19, 64)
Trust central spending
What MEDWAY ANGLICAN SCHOOLS TRUST spent centrally per pupil, on top of this school's own accounts:
- 2018-19 £551
- 2019-20 £474
- 2020-21 £229
- 2021-22 £317
- 2022-23 £380
- 2023-24 £282
- 2024-25 £412
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 August 2025 | £7k £37 per pupil | £6k £35 per pupil |
| 2023-24 year to August 2024 | £7k £37 per pupil | £13k £71 per pupil |
| 2022-23 year to August 2023 | £7k £34 per pupil | £7k £37 per pupil |
| 2021-22 year to August 2022 | £11k £58 per pupil | £3k £15 per pupil |
| 2020-21 year to August 2021 | £3k £20 per pupil | £2k £10 per pupil |
- ST JAMES PARENT ASSOCIATION (charity 1171970) Latest return: £7k £37 per pupil in the year to August 2025. It reports 6 volunteers. Annual return due 30 June 2023.
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
- 28% of pupils eligible for free school meals (median school: council 28%, England 22%)
- Neighbourhood deprivation decile 3 of 10 (1 = most deprived)
- Income deprivation affecting children: decile 5 of 10 (1 = most deprived)
- 17% of adults nearby hold a degree-level qualification
- 75% of nearby homes are owner-occupied
- 10% of nearby homes are social rented
Intake band 4 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 £581k £3,228 per pupil
- Support staff £269k £1,494 per pupil
- Buildings and grounds £65k £361 per pupil
- Energy £9k £50 per pupil
- Learning resources £15k £83 per pupil
- Everything else £201k £1,117 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)
- 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 St James Church of England Primary Academy's £112k £624 per pupil reserve being kept for, and is there a timetable to spend it?
- How many pupils does St James Church of England Primary Academy expect in each year group over the next three years? Why ask: Primary pupil numbers in England are expected to fall by over 300,000 (about 8%) by 2030–31. (IFS, p. 19)
- How much of St James Church of England Primary Academy's funding does MEDWAY ANGLICAN SCHOOLS 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?
- Is the school planning to merge classes, share staff or work more closely with another school?
- Does the school's reserve figure include its share of the trust's central reserves?
- How does St James Church of England Primary 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)
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.
- Harwood Hill Junior Mixed Infant and Nursery School
- Rosedale Primary School
- Shield Road Primary School
- Blessed Mother Teresa's Catholic Primary School
- Willow Tree Primary School
Admissions and catchments for St James Church of England Primary Academy on Schools in Reach · All Medway school finances · Schools in Rochester and Strood · MEDWAY ANGLICAN SCHOOLS 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)