St James Church of England Primary School: school finances
Latest full year 2024-25, as an academy (accounts return, September to August). West Northamptonshire · Primary · Academy converter
Large reserves
Holds £456k £1,063 per pupil in reserve, 14% of a year's income.
Status by year
- 2018-19 Large reserves reserve 8% or more of a year's income
- 2019-20 Tight reserve under 3% of a year's income
- 2020-21 Tight same as the year before
- 2021-22 Tight same as the year before
- 2022-23 Tight same as the year before
- 2023-24 Tight same as the year before
- 2024-25 Large reserves reserve 8% or more of a year's income
Government funding vs spending per pupil
In 2024-25, government funding was £3.1m £7,249 per pupil and spending £3.1m £7,163 per pupil. Government funding was £37k £86 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 | 429.0 | £3.2m £7,555 per pupil | £3.1m £7,163 per pupil | +£168k +£392 per pupil | £0 £0 per pupil |
| 2023-24 | 433.0 | £3.0m £6,977 per pupil | £2.8m £6,577 per pupil | +£173k +£400 per pupil | £0 £0 per pupil |
| 2022-23 | 448.0 | £2.8m £6,290 per pupil | £2.7m £5,960 per pupil | +£148k +£330 per pupil | £0 £0 per pupil |
| 2021-22 | 442.0 | £2.7m £6,018 per pupil | £2.6m £5,810 per pupil | +£92k +£208 per pupil | £0 £0 per pupil |
| 2020-21 | 431.5 | £2.7m £6,211 per pupil | £2.4m £5,620 per pupil | +£255k +£591 per pupil | £0 £0 per pupil |
| 2019-20 | 441.0 | £2.5m £5,689 per pupil | £2.3m £5,184 per pupil | +£223k +£506 per pupil | £0 £0 per pupil |
| 2018-19 | 432.5 | £2.2m £5,128 per pupil | £1.8m £4,243 per pupil | +£383k +£886 per pupil | £286k £661 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 | £3.2m £7,555 per pupil | +47% +16% real | £7k | |
| Government funding | £3.1m £7,249 per pupil | +44% +13% real | £6k | |
| Special needs (SEN) funding | £500k £1,166 per pupil | +190% +128% real | £338 | |
| Pupil premium | Not reported in academy accounts | |||
| Money the school raised itself | £115k £268 per pupil | +223% +153% real | £301 | |
| Donations (day-to-day) | £9k £21 per pupil | £12 | ||
| Donations for buildings and equipment | Not reported in academy accounts | |||
| Facilities and services | £83k £193 per pupil | +133% +82% real | £124 | |
| Catering income | £23k £54 per pupil | £59 | ||
| Other DfE grants | £116k £270 per pupil | £207 | ||
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 | £3.1m £7,163 per pupil | +69% +33% real | £6k | |
| Teachers | £1.3m £3,007 per pupil | -21% -38% real | £3k | |
| Supply staff | £17k £40 per pupil | £108 | ||
| Support staff | £981k £2,287 per pupil | £1k | ||
| Office and admin staff | £78k £182 per pupil | £261 | ||
| Premises staff | £96k £224 per pupil | £105 | ||
| Catering staff | £0 £0 per pupil | £0 | ||
| Other staff costs | £139k £324 per pupil | £162 | ||
| All staff costs | £2.5m £5,839 per pupil | +54% +21% real | £5k | |
| Premises | £121k £282 per pupil | +413% +299% real | £353 | |
| Energy | £58k £135 per pupil | +382% +283% real | £79 | |
| Rates, water and other building costs | £248k £578 per pupil | +1157% +882% real | £516 | |
| Catering | £132k £308 per pupil | +15300% +10367% real | £284 | |
| Learning resources | £81k £189 per pupil | +149% +94% real | £262 | |
| Supplies and services | £199k £464 per pupil | +30% +2% real | £546 | |
| Bought-in services | £91k £212 per pupil | +2929% +2300% real | £169 |
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 £3.1m £7,301 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
- 2018-19 432.5
- 2019-20 441.0
- 2020-21 431.5
- 2021-22 442.0
- 2022-23 448.0
- 2023-24 433.0
- 2024-25 429.0
Income that passed straight through
In 2024-25, this school's income rose by +£220k +£513 per pupil on the year before, and its staff costs by +£211k +£492 per pupil. Much of the extra money may have gone straight out again on higher pay, pension and National Insurance costs.
About £2.3 billion of the rise in school funding since 2019–20 was grants to cover higher employer pension and National Insurance costs, not extra spending power. (IFS, p. 50)
Trust central spending
What PETERBOROUGH DIOCESE EDUCATION TRUST spent centrally per pupil, on top of this school's own accounts:
- 2018-19 £62
- 2019-20 £225
- 2020-21 £255
- 2021-22 £520
- 2022-23 £891
- 2023-24 £390
- 2024-25 £375
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 St James 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
- 24% of pupils eligible for free school meals (median school: council 14%, England 22%)
- Neighbourhood deprivation decile 3 of 10 (1 = most deprived)
- Income deprivation affecting children: decile 4 of 10 (1 = most deprived)
- 22% of adults nearby hold a degree-level qualification
- 36% of nearby homes are owner-occupied
- 27% of nearby homes are social rented
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.
- Teachers £1.3m £3,047 per pupil
- Support staff £981k £2,287 per pupil
- Buildings and grounds £121k £282 per pupil
- Energy £58k £135 per pupil
- Learning resources £81k £189 per pupil
- Everything else £525k £1,224 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 St James Church of England Primary School's £456k £1,063 per pupil reserve being kept for, and is there a timetable to spend it?
- How many pupils at St James 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 St James Church of England Primary School's funding does PETERBOROUGH DIOCESE EDUCATION 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?
- 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 St James 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.
- Mesne Lea Primary School
- Canon Burrows CofE Primary School
- Hadrian Park Primary School
- Longmoor Community Primary School
- Eaton Valley Primary School
Admissions and catchments for St James Church of England Primary School on Schools in Reach · All West Northamptonshire school finances · Schools in Northampton North · PETERBOROUGH DIOCESE EDUCATION 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
- 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)