Gillingham St Michael's Church of England Primary Academy: school finances
Latest full year 2021-22, as an academy (accounts return, September to August). Norfolk · Primary · Academy converter
Tight
Holds £0 £0 per pupil in reserve, under 3% of a year's income: little room for surprises.
Status by year
- 2021-22 Tight reserve under 3% of a year's income
Government funding vs spending per pupil
In 2021-22, government funding was £412k £6,754 per pupil and spending £414k £6,787 per pupil. Spending was £2k £33 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-22 | 61.0 | £405k £6,639 per pupil | £414k £6,787 per pupil | -£9k -£148 per pupil | £0 £0 per pupil |
Where the money comes from
| Line | 2021-22 | Change per pupil since 2021-22 | Similar schools (median per pupil) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total income | £405k £6,639 per pupil | £7k | |
| Government funding | £412k £6,754 per pupil | £7k | |
| Special needs (SEN) funding | £1k £16 per pupil | £174 | |
| Pupil premium | Not reported in academy accounts | ||
| Money the school raised itself | £10k £164 per pupil | £270 | |
| Donations (day-to-day) | £1k £16 per pupil | £8 | |
| Donations for buildings and equipment | Not reported in academy accounts | ||
| Facilities and services | £0 £0 per pupil | £43 | |
| Catering income | £4k £66 per pupil | £74 | |
| Other DfE grants | £0 £0 per pupil | £382 | |
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 | 2021-22 | Change per pupil since 2021-22 | Similar schools (median per pupil) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total spending | £414k £6,787 per pupil | £7k | |
| Teachers | £274k £4,492 per pupil | £3k | |
| Supply staff | £1k £16 per pupil | £136 | |
| Support staff | £0 £0 per pupil | £952 | |
| Office and admin staff | £24k £393 per pupil | £370 | |
| Premises staff | £13k £213 per pupil | £108 | |
| Catering staff | £0 £0 per pupil | £0 | |
| Other staff costs | £14k £230 per pupil | £203 | |
| All staff costs | £313k £5,131 per pupil | £5k | |
| Premises | £27k £443 per pupil | £365 | |
| Energy | £10k £164 per pupil | £107 | |
| Rates, water and other building costs | £41k £672 per pupil | £590 | |
| Catering | £24k £393 per pupil | £302 | |
| Learning resources | £18k £295 per pupil | £355 | |
| Supplies and services | £33k £541 per pupil | £803 | |
| Bought-in services | £8k £131 per pupil | £294 |
Staff costs were 76% of this school's spending in 2021-22. Across England, over 80% of schools' costs are staff costs. (IFS, p. 63)
In 2025-26 prices, this school spent £487k £7,977 per pupil in 2021-22. 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
- 2021-22 61.0
Trust central spending
What THE DIOCESE OF NORWICH EDUCATION AND ACADEMIES TRUST spent centrally per pupil, on top of this school's own accounts:
- 2021-22 £867
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2011-12 year to August 2012 | £2k | £2k |
| 2010-11 year to August 2011 | £2k | £1k |
| 2009-10 year to August 2010 | £1k | £2k |
- FRIENDS OF GILLINGHAM ST MICHAEL'S PRIMARY SCHOOL (charity 1082196) Had a registered PTA until 2014. It reports 10 volunteers. Annual return due 30 June 2011.
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
- 24% of pupils eligible for free school meals (median school: council 20%, England 22%)
- Neighbourhood deprivation decile 5 of 10 (1 = most deprived)
- Income deprivation affecting children: decile 7 of 10 (1 = most deprived)
- 32% of adults nearby hold a degree-level qualification
- 76% of nearby homes are owner-occupied
- 13% 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 2021-22, here is roughly where it went, with the amount for each pupil.
- Teachers £275k £4,508 per pupil
- Support staff £0 £0 per pupil
- Buildings and grounds £27k £443 per pupil
- Energy £10k £164 per pupil
- Learning resources £18k £295 per pupil
- Everything else £84k £1,377 per pupil
National context
- In 2024–25 and 2025–26, mainstream school funding per pupil grew by 2 percentage points less than school costs nationally. (IFS, p. 62)
- 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.
- With £0 £0 per pupil in reserve, what would happen if costs rose faster than expected next year? Why ask: Pay awards are set each year by the government after independent advice; the IFS says the picture is tight for schools if they follow forecast earnings growth. (IFS, p. 63)
- How much of Gillingham St Michael's Church of England Primary Academy's funding does THE DIOCESE OF NORWICH EDUCATION AND ACADEMIES 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?
- Which costs does Gillingham St Michael's Church of England Primary Academy expect to rise most next year?
- Does the school's reserve figure include its share of the trust's central reserves?
- How does Gillingham St Michael's Church of England Primary 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 budget relying on one-off grants or fundraising to balance?
- 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.
- Dalton St Michael's Church of England Primary School
- Warbstow Primary Academy
- Boscastle Community Primary School
- Brant Broughton Church of England and Methodist Primary School
- Husthwaite Church of England Primary School
Admissions and catchments for Gillingham St Michael's Church of England Primary Academy on Schools in Reach · All Norfolk school finances · Schools in South Norfolk · THE DIOCESE OF NORWICH EDUCATION AND ACADEMIES 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)