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St Peter's Church of England Primary School, Cassington: school finances

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

Tight

Holds £18k £198 per pupil in reserve, under 3% of a year's income: little room for surprises.

Status by year

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

School presentation · PTFA presentation

School Wrapped: St Peter's Church of England Primary School, Cassington's year in money · PTFA Wrapped

Government funding vs spending per pupil

In 2024-25, government funding was £681k £7,323 per pupil and spending £726k £7,806 per pupil. Spending was £45k £484 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 £5k, spending £5k; 2019-20: funding £5k, spending £5k; 2020-21: funding £5k, spending £5k; 2021-22: funding £5k, spending £6k; 2022-23: funding £6k, spending £6k; 2023-24: funding £6k, spending £7k; 2024-25: funding £7k, spending £8k£4,000£5,000£6,000£7,0002018-192020-212022-232024-25Gov. 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: £161; 2019-20: £343; 2020-21: £381; 2021-22: £623; 2022-23: £536; 2023-24: £236; 2024-25: £172£0£200£400£6002018-192020-212022-232024-25ReserveSimilarReserve

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

Each year's figures, newest first
YearPupilsIncomeSpendingIn-year balanceReserve at year end
2024-2593.0£753k £8,097 per pupil£726k £7,806 per pupil+£27k +£290 per pupil£16k £172 per pupil
2023-24106.0£704k £6,642 per pupil£717k £6,764 per pupil-£13k -£123 per pupil£25k £236 per pupil
2022-23112.0£665k £5,938 per pupil£671k £5,991 per pupil-£6k -£54 per pupil£60k £536 per pupil
2021-22106.0£645k £6,085 per pupil£630k £5,943 per pupil+£15k +£142 per pupil£66k £623 per pupil
2020-21107.5£590k £5,488 per pupil£566k £5,265 per pupil+£24k +£223 per pupil£41k £381 per pupil
2019-2099.0£571k £5,768 per pupil£526k £5,313 per pupil+£45k +£455 per pupil£34k £343 per pupil
2018-1999.5£571k £5,739 per pupil£541k £5,437 per pupil+£30k +£302 per pupil£16k £161 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£753k £8,097 per pupil+41% +11% real£8k
Government funding£681k £7,323 per pupil+40% +10% real£7k
Special needs (SEN) funding£15k £161 per pupil+101% +58% real£311
Pupil premiumNot reported in academy accounts
Money the school raised itself£27k £290 per pupil+3% -19% real£493
Donations (day-to-day)£14k £151 per pupil+152% +96% real£53
Donations for buildings and equipmentNot reported in academy accounts
Facilities and services£2k £22 per pupil+10% -15% real£191
Catering income£11k £118 per pupil-27% -42% real£95
Other DfE grants£10k £108 per pupil-67% -74% real£296

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£726k £7,806 per pupil+44% +13% real£8k
Teachers£219k £2,355 per pupil-11% -30% real£4k
Supply staff£18k £194 per pupil+142% +89% real£104
Support staff£150k £1,613 per pupil+89% +48% real£1k
Office and admin staff£152k £1,634 per pupil+578% +432% real£381
Premises staff£0 £0 per pupil-100% -100% real£98
Catering staff£0 £0 per pupil£0
Other staff costs£18k £194 per pupil+7% -16% real£180
All staff costs£557k £5,989 per pupil+50% +18% real£6k
Premises£45k £484 per pupil+119% +72% real£321
Energy£8k £86 per pupil-23% -38% real£121
Rates, water and other building costs£49k £527 per pupil+5% -18% real£640
Catering£34k £366 per pupil+26% -1% real£367
Learning resources£48k £516 per pupil+28% +1% real£401
Supplies and services£75k £806 per pupil+13% -11% real£784
Bought-in services£4k £43 per pupil-52% -62% real£211

Staff costs were 77% 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 £740k £7,957 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 99.5
  2. 2019-20 99.0
  3. 2020-21 107.5
  4. 2021-22 106.0
  5. 2022-23 112.0
  6. 2023-24 106.0
  7. 2024-25 93.0

Pupil numbers fell from 99.5 to 93.0 (7% 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 EPA TRUST spent centrally per pupil, on top of this school's own accounts:

  1. 2018-19 £219
  2. 2019-20 £445
  3. 2020-21 £220
  4. 2021-22 £183
  5. 2022-23 £181
  6. 2023-24 £330
  7. 2024-25 £352

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

Parents' association money per pupilParents' association income and spending per pupil. 2021-22: raised £111; 2022-23: raised £112; 2023-24: raised £124; 2024-25: raised £148£60£80£100£120£1402021-222022-232023-242024-25RaisedSpent
Each school year's returns, newest first
School yearRaisedSpent
2025-26
year to July 2026		£11k matched with lower confidence£10k
2024-25
year to July 2025		£14k £148 per pupil matched with lower confidence£14k £149 per pupil
2023-24
year to July 2024		£13k £124 per pupil matched with lower confidence£13k £118 per pupil
2022-23
year to July 2023		£12k £112 per pupil matched with lower confidence£15k £133 per pupil
2021-22
year to July 2022		£12k £111 per pupil matched with lower confidence£8k £73 per pupil

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

academy · Primary · Mixed · EPA 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. With £18k £198 per pupil in reserve, what would happen if costs rose faster than expected next year? Why ask: Pay awards are set each year by the government after independent advice; the IFS says the picture is tight for schools if they follow forecast earnings growth. (IFS, p. 63)
  2. How many pupils does St Peter's Church of England Primary School, Cassington 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)
  3. How much of St Peter's Church of England Primary School, Cassington's funding does EPA 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)
  4. How much does the PTA (or friends' association) raise each year, and what does it pay for?
  5. Which costs does St Peter's Church of England Primary School, Cassington expect to rise most next year?
  6. Is the school planning to merge classes, share staff or work more closely with another school?
  7. Does the school's reserve figure include its share of the trust's central reserves?
  8. How does St Peter's Church of England Primary School, Cassington'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.

Compare side by side

Admissions and catchments for St Peter's Church of England Primary School, Cassington on Schools in Reach · All Oxfordshire school finances · Schools in Bicester and Woodstock · EPA TRUST