William de Yaxley Church of England Academy: school finances
Latest full year 2024-25, as an academy (accounts return, September to August). Cambridgeshire · Primary · Academy sponsor led
Healthy
Holds £109k £530 per pupil in reserve, 7% of a year's income.
Status by year
- 2018-19 Healthy reserve between 3% and 8% of a year's income
- 2019-20 Heading for deficit spending more than it received, reserve running down
- 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 Tight same as the year before
- 2023-24 Tight same as the year before
- 2024-25 Healthy reserve between 3% and 8% of a year's income
Government funding vs spending per pupil
In 2024-25, government funding was £1.4m £6,615 per pupil and spending £1.2m £6,083 per pupil. Government funding was £109k £532 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 | 205.0 | £1.5m £7,122 per pupil | £1.2m £6,083 per pupil | +£213k +£1,039 per pupil | £0 £0 per pupil |
| 2023-24 | 212.0 | £1.4m £6,745 per pupil | £1.2m £5,637 per pupil | +£235k +£1,108 per pupil | £0 £0 per pupil |
| 2022-23 | 227.0 | £1.2m £5,454 per pupil | £1.1m £4,846 per pupil | +£138k +£608 per pupil | £0 £0 per pupil |
| 2021-22 | 212.0 | £1.2m £5,575 per pupil | £1.0m £4,741 per pupil | +£177k +£835 per pupil | £0 £0 per pupil |
| 2020-21 | 218.0 | £1.1m £4,839 per pupil | £960k £4,404 per pupil | +£95k +£436 per pupil | £71k £326 per pupil |
| 2019-20 | 210.0 | £994k £4,733 per pupil | £1.0m £4,857 per pupil | -£26k -£124 per pupil | £42k £200 per pupil |
| 2018-19 | 204.0 | £986k £4,833 per pupil | £1.0m £5,029 per pupil | -£40k -£196 per pupil | £71k £348 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 | £1.5m £7,122 per pupil | +47% +16% real | £7k | |
| Government funding | £1.4m £6,615 per pupil | +38% +9% real | £7k | |
| Special needs (SEN) funding | £105k £512 per pupil | +74% +37% real | £329 | |
| Pupil premium | Not reported in academy accounts | |||
| Money the school raised itself | £73k £356 per pupil | +559% +419% real | £320 | |
| Donations (day-to-day) | £29k £141 per pupil | +1310% +1008% real | £21 | |
| Donations for buildings and equipment | Not reported in academy accounts | |||
| Facilities and services | £8k £39 per pupil | +680% +567% real | £101 | |
| Catering income | £24k £117 per pupil | +244% +170% real | £68 | |
| Other DfE grants | £1k £5 per pupil | £234 | ||
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 | £1.2m £6,083 per pupil | +21% -5% real | £7k | |
| Teachers | £595k £2,902 per pupil | -15% -33% real | £3k | |
| Supply staff | £38k £185 per pupil | £64 | ||
| Support staff | £237k £1,156 per pupil | +114% +69% real | £1k | |
| Office and admin staff | £47k £229 per pupil | £340 | ||
| Premises staff | £34k £166 per pupil | £183 | ||
| Catering staff | £0 £0 per pupil | £0 | ||
| Other staff costs | £21k £102 per pupil | -65% -72% real | £194 | |
| All staff costs | £938k £4,576 per pupil | +8% -15% real | £5k | |
| Premises | £88k £429 per pupil | +202% +138% real | £340 | |
| Energy | £22k £107 per pupil | +15% -10% real | £107 | |
| Rates, water and other building costs | £92k £449 per pupil | +123% +75% real | £599 | |
| Catering | £47k £229 per pupil | +194% +129% real | £322 | |
| Learning resources | £59k £288 per pupil | +23% -4% real | £290 | |
| Supplies and services | £129k £629 per pupil | +41% +11% real | £553 | |
| Bought-in services | £44k £215 per pupil | +975% +776% real | £196 |
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 £1.3m £6,200 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
- 2018-19 204.0
- 2019-20 210.0
- 2020-21 218.0
- 2021-22 212.0
- 2022-23 227.0
- 2023-24 212.0
- 2024-25 205.0
Trust central spending
What GRACE SCHOOLS spent centrally per pupil, on top of this school's own accounts:
- 2018-19 £535
- 2019-20 £527
- 2020-21 £471
- 2021-22 £693
- 2022-23 £692
- 2023-24 £722
- 2024-25 £705
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 year to August 2026 | £7k | £10k |
| 2024-25 year to August 2025 | £9k £45 per pupil | £4k £20 per pupil |
| 2023-24 year to August 2024 | £11k £54 per pupil | £9k £41 per pupil |
| 2022-23 year to August 2023 | £8k £37 per pupil | £10k £46 per pupil |
- FRIENDS OF WILLIAM DE YAXLEY ACADEMY (FOWDY) (charity 1201114) Latest return: £7k in the year to August 2026. It reports 10 volunteers. Annual return due 30 June 2025.
- FRIENDS OF WILLIAM DE YAXLEY C OF E JUNIOR SCHOOL (charity 1106875) Had a registered PTA until 2009.
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 18%, England 22%)
- Neighbourhood deprivation decile 7 of 10 (1 = most deprived)
- Income deprivation affecting children: decile 7 of 10 (1 = most deprived)
- 22% of adults nearby hold a degree-level qualification
- 80% of nearby homes are owner-occupied
- 2% of nearby homes are social rented
Intake band 3 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 £633k £3,088 per pupil
- Support staff £237k £1,156 per pupil
- Buildings and grounds £88k £429 per pupil
- Energy £22k £107 per pupil
- Learning resources £59k £288 per pupil
- Everything else £208k £1,015 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.
- How many pupils at William de Yaxley Church of England Academy have an EHCP or need extra support, and how is support above the first £6,000 a year funded? Why ask: Mainstream schools are expected to fund the first £6,000 a year per pupil from their core budget. (IFS, p. 46)
- How much of William de Yaxley Church of England Academy's funding does GRACE SCHOOLS 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?
- Does the council's top-up money arrive on time and cover what the support actually costs?
- Does the school's reserve figure include its share of the trust's central reserves?
- How does William de Yaxley Church of England 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)
- Is the council's high needs budget in deficit, and could that affect the school's top-ups? Why ask: Councils' accumulated high needs deficits are forecast to reach £14 billion by 2028. Statutory override: since 2020-21 DSG deficits are held in a separate unusable reserve rather than met from council general funds. The override runs to the end of 2027-28. Under the February 2026 approach, the High Needs Stability Grant pays 90% of each LA's eligible DSG deficit at 31 March 2026 from autumn 2026, so 2026-27 balances will fall sharply. (IFS, p. 61)
- 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.
- St Ambrose Barlow Catholic Primary School
- Greenmeadow Primary School
- Pebsham Primary Academy
- Queens Road Academy
- Marshside Primary School
Admissions and catchments for William de Yaxley Church of England Academy on Schools in Reach · All Cambridgeshire school finances · Schools in North West Cambridgeshire · GRACE SCHOOLS
- 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)