Holy Cross Church of England Primary School: school finances
Latest full year 2024-25, as an academy (accounts return, September to August). Norfolk · Primary · Academy sponsor led
Healthy
Holds £25k £530 per pupil in reserve, 5% of a year's income.
Status by year
- 2018-19 In deficit reserve below zero
- 2019-20 In deficit same as the year before
- 2020-21 In deficit same as the year before
- 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 £492k £10,581 per pupil and spending £506k £10,882 per pupil. Spending was £14k £301 per pupil more than government funding; the difference came from other income, such as lettings, catering or donations, or from the school's reserve.
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 | 46.5 | £511k £10,989 per pupil | £506k £10,882 per pupil | +£5k +£108 per pupil | £0 £0 per pupil |
| 2023-24 | 46.0 | £465k £10,109 per pupil | £499k £10,848 per pupil | -£34k -£739 per pupil | £0 £0 per pupil |
| 2022-23 | 47.0 | £516k £10,979 per pupil | £417k £8,872 per pupil | +£99k +£2,106 per pupil | £0 £0 per pupil |
| 2021-22 | 49.0 | £552k £11,265 per pupil | £546k £11,143 per pupil | +£6k +£122 per pupil | £0 £0 per pupil |
| 2020-21 | 35.0 | £302k £8,629 per pupil | £260k £7,429 per pupil | +£42k +£1,200 per pupil | -£73k -£2,086 per pupil |
| 2019-20 | 36.0 | £315k £8,750 per pupil | £327k £9,083 per pupil | -£12k -£333 per pupil | -£58k -£1,611 per pupil |
| 2018-19 | 43.0 | £321k £7,465 per pupil | £320k £7,442 per pupil | +£1k +£23 per pupil | -£35k -£814 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 | £511k £10,989 per pupil | +47% +16% real | £10k | |
| Government funding | £492k £10,581 per pupil | +44% +14% real | £10k | |
| Special needs (SEN) funding | £2k £43 per pupil | -83% -87% real | £328 | |
| Pupil premium | Not reported in academy accounts | |||
| Money the school raised itself | £16k £344 per pupil | +146% +94% real | £479 | |
| Donations (day-to-day) | £0 £0 per pupil recorded | £39 | ||
| Donations for buildings and equipment | Not reported in academy accounts | |||
| Facilities and services | £13k £280 per pupil | £139 | ||
| Catering income | £2k £43 per pupil | -69% -76% real | £119 | |
| Other DfE grants | £15k £323 per pupil | £494 | ||
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 | £506k £10,882 per pupil | +46% +15% real | £10k | |
| Teachers | £274k £5,892 per pupil | +15% -10% real | £5k | |
| Supply staff | £4k £86 per pupil | £111 | ||
| Support staff | £95k £2,043 per pupil | +144% +92% real | £2k | |
| Office and admin staff | £19k £409 per pupil | £684 | ||
| Premises staff | £0 £0 per pupil | £267 | ||
| Catering staff | £0 £0 per pupil | £0 | ||
| Other staff costs | £21k £452 per pupil | +386% +280% real | £315 | |
| All staff costs | £416k £8,946 per pupil | +47% +16% real | £8k | |
| Premises | £19k £409 per pupil | -7% -27% real | £620 | |
| Energy | £8k £172 per pupil | +85% +45% real | £194 | |
| Rates, water and other building costs | £32k £688 per pupil | +48% +16% real | £901 | |
| Catering | £21k £452 per pupil | +39% +9% real | £447 | |
| Learning resources | £24k £516 per pupil | +23% -3% real | £554 | |
| Supplies and services | £38k £817 per pupil | +76% +38% real | £1k | |
| Bought-in services | £0 £0 per pupil | -100% -100% real | £422 |
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 £516k £11,092 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 43.0
- 2019-20 36.0
- 2020-21 35.0
- 2021-22 49.0
- 2022-23 47.0
- 2023-24 46.0
- 2024-25 46.5
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 year to August 2025 | £5k £116 per pupil | £2k £44 per pupil |
| 2023-24 year to August 2024 | £5k £103 per pupil | £2k £42 per pupil |
| 2022-23 year to September 2022, August 2023 | £6k £137 per pupil | £3k £60 per pupil |
| 2021-22 year to September 2021 | £0 £0 per pupil | £0 £0 per pupil |
- Friends of Holy Cross Primary School (charity 1035973) Latest return: £5k £116 per pupil in the year to August 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
- 18% of pupils eligible for free school meals (median school: council 20%, England 22%)
- Neighbourhood deprivation decile 4 of 10 (1 = most deprived)
- Income deprivation affecting children: decile 7 of 10 (1 = most deprived)
- 23% of adults nearby hold a degree-level qualification
- 74% of nearby homes are owner-occupied
- 4% of nearby homes are social rented
Intake band 2 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 £278k £5,978 per pupil
- Support staff £95k £2,043 per pupil
- Buildings and grounds £19k £409 per pupil
- Energy £8k £172 per pupil
- Learning resources £24k £516 per pupil
- Everything else £82k £1,763 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 Holy Cross Church of England Primary School 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 Holy Cross Church of England Primary School'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 Holy Cross 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)
- 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.
- King's Park Infant School, Dereham
- Othery Village School
- Otterburn Primary School
- St Mary's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, Hatfield Broad Oak
- Eastcombe Primary School
Admissions and catchments for Holy Cross Church of England Primary School on Schools in Reach · All Norfolk school finances · Schools in South West Norfolk · 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)