Whissendine Church of England Primary School: school finances
Latest full year 2024-25, as an academy (accounts return, September to August). Rutland · Primary · Academy converter
Large reserves
Holds £114k £812 per pupil in reserve, 13% of a year's income. It has been drawing on it for 2 years.
Status by year
- 2018-19 Healthy reserve between 3% and 8% of a year's income
- 2019-20 Healthy same as the year before
- 2020-21 Large reserves reserve 8% or more of a year's income
- 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 £820k £5,857 per pupil and spending £907k £6,479 per pupil. Spending was £87k £621 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 | 140.0 | £864k £6,171 per pupil | £907k £6,479 per pupil | -£43k -£307 per pupil | £76k £543 per pupil |
| 2023-24 | 147.0 | £943k £6,415 per pupil | £967k £6,578 per pupil | -£24k -£163 per pupil | £117k £796 per pupil |
| 2022-23 | 158.0 | £970k £6,139 per pupil | £895k £5,665 per pupil | +£75k +£475 per pupil | £141k £892 per pupil |
| 2021-22 | 171.0 | £931k £5,444 per pupil | £869k £5,082 per pupil | +£62k +£363 per pupil | £125k £731 per pupil |
| 2020-21 | 191.0 | £907k £4,749 per pupil | £806k £4,220 per pupil | +£101k +£529 per pupil | £98k £513 per pupil |
| 2019-20 | 196.0 | £880k £4,490 per pupil | £758k £3,867 per pupil | +£122k +£622 per pupil | £56k £286 per pupil |
| 2018-19 | 193.0 | £994k £5,150 per pupil | £1.3m £6,523 per pupil | -£265k -£1,373 per pupil | £38k £197 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 | £864k £6,171 per pupil | +20% -6% real | £7k | |
| Government funding | £820k £5,857 per pupil | +39% +9% real | £6k | |
| Special needs (SEN) funding | £43k £307 per pupil | +358% +260% real | £184 | |
| Pupil premium | Not reported in academy accounts | |||
| Money the school raised itself | £44k £314 per pupil | -62% -70% real | £471 | |
| Donations (day-to-day) | £15k £107 per pupil | -58% -67% real | £62 | |
| Donations for buildings and equipment | Not reported in academy accounts | |||
| Facilities and services | £29k £207 per pupil | +696% +521% real | £191 | |
| Catering income | £0 £0 per pupil | -100% -100% real | £84 | |
| Other DfE grants | £0 £0 per pupil | -100% -100% real | £313 | |
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 | £907k £6,479 per pupil | -1% -22% real | £7k | |
| Teachers | £482k £3,443 per pupil | +21% -5% real | £3k | |
| Supply staff | £27k £193 per pupil | £73 | ||
| Support staff | £153k £1,093 per pupil | +34% +6% real | £1k | |
| Office and admin staff | £52k £371 per pupil | +130% +82% real | £351 | |
| Premises staff | £22k £157 per pupil | -36% -49% real | £147 | |
| Catering staff | £0 £0 per pupil | £0 | ||
| Other staff costs | £2k £14 per pupil | -46% -56% real | £157 | |
| All staff costs | £716k £5,114 per pupil | +33% +5% real | £5k | |
| Premises | £71k £507 per pupil | +14% -11% real | £329 | |
| Energy | £23k £164 per pupil | +98% +56% real | £114 | |
| Rates, water and other building costs | £55k £393 per pupil | +18% -7% real | £617 | |
| Catering | £28k £200 per pupil | +24% -2% real | £362 | |
| Learning resources | £34k £243 per pupil | -75% -80% real | £341 | |
| Supplies and services | £65k £464 per pupil | -76% -81% real | £620 | |
| Bought-in services | £0 £0 per pupil | -100% -100% real | £157 |
Staff costs were 79% 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 £924k £6,603 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
- 2018-19 193.0
- 2019-20 196.0
- 2020-21 191.0
- 2021-22 171.0
- 2022-23 158.0
- 2023-24 147.0
- 2024-25 140.0
Pupil numbers fell from 193.0 to 140.0 (27% 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 THE RUTLAND LEARNING TRUST spent centrally per pupil, on top of this school's own accounts:
- 2018-19 £79
- 2019-20 £383
- 2020-21 £316
- 2021-22 £347
- 2022-23 £308
- 2023-24 £515
- 2024-25 £324
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 July 2026 | £11k | £16k |
| 2024-25 year to July 2025 | £10k £68 per pupil | £8k £54 per pupil |
| 2023-24 year to July 2024 | £5k £36 per pupil | £10k £66 per pupil |
| 2022-23 year to July 2023 | £8k £52 per pupil | £7k £41 per pupil |
| 2021-22 year to July 2022 | £4k £25 per pupil | £5k £28 per pupil |
- WHISSENDINE SCHOOL PARENTS ASSOCIATION (charity 1119881) Latest return: £11k in the year to July 2026. It reports 15 volunteers. Annual return due 31 May 2027.
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
- 7% of pupils eligible for free school meals (median school: council 12%, England 22%)
- Neighbourhood deprivation decile 8 of 10 (1 = most deprived)
- Income deprivation affecting children: decile 7 of 10 (1 = most deprived)
- 44% of adults nearby hold a degree-level qualification
- 80% of nearby homes are owner-occupied
- 11% of nearby homes are social rented
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.
- Teachers £509k £3,636 per pupil
- Support staff £153k £1,093 per pupil
- Buildings and grounds £71k £507 per pupil
- Energy £23k £164 per pupil
- Learning resources £34k £243 per pupil
- Everything else £117k £836 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 Whissendine Church of England Primary School's £114k £812 per pupil reserve being kept for, and is there a timetable to spend it?
- How many pupils does Whissendine Church of England Primary School 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 Whissendine Church of England Primary School's funding does THE RUTLAND LEARNING 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 Whissendine 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)
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.
- Bredhurst Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School
- Broadmayne First School and Nursery
- St Nicholas Church of England Primary, Hurst
- Kildwick Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School
- Greenfield CofE VC Lower School
Admissions and catchments for Whissendine Church of England Primary School on Schools in Reach · All Rutland school finances · Schools in Rutland and Stamford · THE RUTLAND LEARNING 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)