Watford St John's Church of England Primary School: school finances
Latest full year 2024-25, as an academy (accounts return, September to August). Hertfordshire · Primary · Free schools
Healthy
Holds £194k £473 per pupil in reserve, 7% of a year's income. It has spent more than it received for 2 years, so watch the trend.
Status by year
- 2018-19 Healthy reserve between 3% and 8% of a year's income
- 2019-20 Healthy same as the year before
- 2021-22 Large reserves reserve 8% or more of a year's income
- 2022-23 Large reserves same as the year before
- 2023-24 Healthy reserve between 3% and 8% of a year's income
- 2024-25 Healthy same as the year before
Government funding vs spending per pupil
In 2024-25, government funding was £2.4m £5,805 per pupil and spending £2.6m £6,424 per pupil. Spending was £254k £620 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 | 410.0 | £2.6m £6,371 per pupil | £2.6m £6,424 per pupil | -£22k -£54 per pupil | £194k £473 per pupil |
| 2023-24 | 380.0 | £2.2m £5,763 per pupil | £2.2m £5,871 per pupil | -£41k -£108 per pupil | £171k £450 per pupil |
| 2022-23 | 345.0 | £1.9m £5,597 per pupil | £1.8m £5,336 per pupil | +£90k +£261 per pupil | £248k £719 per pupil |
| 2021-22 | 293.0 | £1.6m £5,304 per pupil | £1.7m £5,768 per pupil | -£136k -£464 per pupil | £151k £515 per pupil |
| 2019-20 | 176.5 | £995k £5,637 per pupil | £966k £5,473 per pupil | +£29k +£164 per pupil | £63k £357 per pupil |
| 2018-19 | 119.0 | £761k £6,395 per pupil | £808k £6,790 per pupil | -£47k -£395 per pupil | £27k £227 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 | £2.6m £6,371 per pupil | -0% -22% real | £6k | |
| Government funding | £2.4m £5,805 per pupil | -2% -23% real | £6k | |
| Special needs (SEN) funding | £89k £217 per pupil | +334% +240% real | £236 | |
| Pupil premium | Not reported in academy accounts | |||
| Money the school raised itself | £167k £407 per pupil | +185% +124% real | £409 | |
| Donations (day-to-day) | £1k £2 per pupil | -92% -94% real | £20 | |
| Donations for buildings and equipment | Not reported in academy accounts | |||
| Facilities and services | £115k £280 per pupil | +318% +229% real | £231 | |
| Catering income | £47k £115 per pupil | +360% +255% real | £55 | |
| Other DfE grants | £13k £32 per pupil | £212 | ||
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 | £2.6m £6,424 per pupil | -5% -26% real | £6k | |
| Teachers | £1.1m £2,754 per pupil | +7% -16% real | £3k | |
| Supply staff | £55k £134 per pupil | +1575% +1145% real | £51 | |
| Support staff | £562k £1,371 per pupil | +61% +27% real | £1k | |
| Office and admin staff | £171k £417 per pupil | -25% -41% real | £272 | |
| Premises staff | £47k £115 per pupil | £102 | ||
| Catering staff | £0 £0 per pupil | £0 | ||
| Other staff costs | £198k £483 per pupil | -3% -23% real | £189 | |
| All staff costs | £2.1m £5,188 per pupil | +16% -9% real | £5k | |
| Premises | £62k £151 per pupil | -53% -63% real | £278 | |
| Energy | £38k £93 per pupil | -64% -72% real | £83 | |
| Rates, water and other building costs | £220k £537 per pupil | -48% -60% real | £495 | |
| Catering | £130k £317 per pupil | -26% -42% real | £291 | |
| Learning resources | £75k £183 per pupil | -34% -48% real | £262 | |
| Supplies and services | £225k £549 per pupil | -43% -55% real | £443 | |
| Bought-in services | £38k £93 per pupil | -66% -74% real | £92 |
Staff costs were 81% 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 £2.7m £6,548 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
- 2018-19 119.0
- 2019-20 176.5
- 2021-22 293.0
- 2022-23 345.0
- 2023-24 380.0
- 2024-25 410.0
Income that passed straight through
In 2024-25, this school's income rose by +£422k +£1,029 per pupil on the year before, and its staff costs by +£383k +£934 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 POPPY ACADEMY TRUST spent centrally per pupil, on top of this school's own accounts:
- 2018-19 £0
- 2019-20 £0
- 2021-22 £0
- 2022-23 £0
- 2023-24 £0
- 2024-25 £0
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 | £7k £18 per pupil | £7k £18 per pupil |
| 2023-24 year to August 2024 | £6k £17 per pupil | £6k £16 per pupil |
| 2022-23 year to August 2023 | £2k £5 per pupil | £1k £3 per pupil |
| 2021-22 year to August 2022 | £2k £6 per pupil | £1k £4 per pupil |
| 2020-21 year to August 2021 | £2k | £2k |
- FRIENDS OF ST JOHN'S CHURCH OF ENGLAND PRIMARY SCHOOL (charity 1178853) Latest return: £7k £18 per pupil in the year to August 2025. It reports 8 volunteers. Annual return due 30 June 2026.
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
- 13% of pupils eligible for free school meals (median school: council 15%, England 22%)
- Neighbourhood deprivation decile 4 of 10 (1 = most deprived)
- Income deprivation affecting children: decile 6 of 10 (1 = most deprived)
- 49% of adults nearby hold a degree-level qualification
- 33% of nearby homes are owner-occupied
- 10% 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 £1.2m £2,888 per pupil
- Support staff £562k £1,371 per pupil
- Buildings and grounds £62k £151 per pupil
- Energy £38k £93 per pupil
- Learning resources £75k £183 per pupil
- Everything else £713k £1,739 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 much of Watford St John's Church of England Primary School's funding does POPPY ACADEMY 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?
- Does the school's reserve figure include its share of the trust's central reserves?
- How does Watford St John's 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)
- Can the trust move money between its schools, and has this school given or received any?
- Who sets the school's budget: the headteacher, local governors or the trust board?
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.
- Witham St Hughs Academy
- Fordham CofE Primary School
- Mundella Primary School
- Wray Common Primary School
- Combe Down CofE Primary School
Admissions and catchments for Watford St John's Church of England Primary School on Schools in Reach · All Hertfordshire school finances · Schools in Watford · POPPY ACADEMY 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)