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Weston St Mary Church of England Primary School: school finances

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

Large reserves

Holds £50k £921 per pupil in reserve, 10% 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 Large reserves same as the year before
  3. 2020-21 Large reserves same as the year before
  4. 2021-22 Large reserves same as the year before
  5. 2022-23 Large reserves same as the year before
  6. 2023-24 Tight reserve under 3% of a year's income
  7. 2024-25 Large reserves reserve 8% or more of a year's income
Present and share

School presentation · PTFA presentation

School Wrapped: Weston St Mary Church of England Primary School's year in money · PTFA Wrapped

Government funding vs spending per pupil

In 2024-25, government funding was £473k £8,759 per pupil and spending £400k £7,407 per pupil. Government funding was £73k £1,352 per pupil more than spending.

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 £10k, spending £10k; 2019-20: funding £8k, spending £8k; 2020-21: funding £10k, spending £8k; 2021-22: funding £9k, spending £8k; 2022-23: funding £11k, spending £10k; 2023-24: funding £13k, spending £11k; 2024-25: funding £9k, spending £7k£6,000£8,000£10,000£12,0002018-192020-212022-232024-25Gov. 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: £3k; 2019-20: £2k; 2020-21: £3k; 2021-22: £3k; 2022-23: £4k; 2023-24: £0; 2024-25: £0£0£2,000£4,0002018-192020-212022-232024-25ReserveSimilarReserve

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

Each year's figures, newest first
YearPupilsIncomeSpendingIn-year balanceReserve at year end
2024-2554.0£474k £8,778 per pupil£400k £7,407 per pupil+£74k +£1,370 per pupil£0 £0 per pupil
2023-2438.0£491k £12,921 per pupil£400k £10,526 per pupil+£91k +£2,395 per pupil£0 £0 per pupil
2022-2340.0£462k £11,550 per pupil£389k £9,725 per pupil+£73k +£1,825 per pupil£153k £3,825 per pupil
2021-2243.0£393k £9,140 per pupil£343k £7,977 per pupil+£50k +£1,163 per pupil£135k £3,140 per pupil
2020-2139.0£379k £9,718 per pupil£318k £8,154 per pupil+£61k +£1,564 per pupil£120k £3,077 per pupil
2019-2039.0£326k £8,359 per pupil£312k £8,000 per pupil+£14k +£359 per pupil£79k £2,026 per pupil
2018-1931.0£326k £10,516 per pupil£299k £9,645 per pupil+£27k +£871 per pupil£82k £2,645 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£474k £8,778 per pupil-17% -34% real£11k
Government funding£473k £8,759 per pupil-14% -33% real£10k
Special needs (SEN) funding£14k £259 per pupil+0% -21% real£669
Pupil premiumNot reported in academy accounts
Money the school raised itself£5k £93 per pupil-68% -75% real£254
Donations (day-to-day)£4k £74 per pupil-62% -70% real£6
Donations for buildings and equipmentNot reported in academy accounts
Facilities and services£1k £19 per pupil£118
Catering income£0 £0 per pupil£42
Other DfE grants£0 £0 per pupil£368

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£400k £7,407 per pupil-23% -40% real£10k
Teachers£222k £4,111 per pupil-14% -33% real£5k
Supply staff£7k £130 per pupil+306% +214% real£82
Support staff£26k £481 per pupil+15% -10% real£2k
Office and admin staff£33k £611 per pupil-37% -50% real£522
Premises staff£20k £370 per pupil+4% -18% real£246
Catering staff£0 £0 per pupil£0
Other staff costs£11k £204 per pupil-43% -55% real£304
All staff costs£299k £5,537 per pupil-16% -34% real£7k
Premises£32k £593 per pupil-16% -34% real£583
Energy£9k £167 per pupil+4% -19% real£217
Rates, water and other building costs£37k £685 per pupil+42% +11% real£913
Catering£24k £444 per pupil+96% +55% real£455
Learning resources£17k £315 per pupil-43% -55% real£523
Supplies and services£32k £593 per pupil-49% -60% real£1k
Bought-in services£10k £185 per pupil+478% +350% real£271

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 £408k £7,550 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 31.0
  2. 2019-20 39.0
  3. 2020-21 39.0
  4. 2021-22 43.0
  5. 2022-23 40.0
  6. 2023-24 38.0
  7. 2024-25 54.0

Trust central spending

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

  1. 2018-19 £335
  2. 2019-20 £292
  3. 2020-21 £361
  4. 2021-22 £433
  5. 2022-23 £660
  6. 2023-24 £669
  7. 2024-25 £766

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 Weston St Mary Church of England Primary 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 · LINCOLN ANGLICAN ACADEMY TRUST (multi-academy trust) · Church of England

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.

National context

Questions to ask the school

Useful for parents, governors and PTFA committees.

  1. What is Weston St Mary Church of England Primary School's £50k £921 per pupil reserve being kept for, and is there a timetable to spend it?
  2. How much of Weston St Mary Church of England Primary School's funding does LINCOLN ANGLICAN 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 Weston St Mary 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)
  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 Weston St Mary Church of England Primary School on Schools in Reach · All Lincolnshire school finances · Schools in South Holland and The Deepings · LINCOLN ANGLICAN ACADEMY TRUST