Bishop Lonsdale Church of England Primary Academy: school finances
Latest full year 2024-25, as an academy (accounts return, September to August). Staffordshire · Primary · Academy converter
In deficit
In deficit by £8k £33 per pupil, 0% of a year's income: it has spent more over the years than it received.
Why schools go into deficit. Most of a school's money goes on people: over 80% of schools' costs are staff costs. So when pay and other costs rise faster than funding, or a school loses pupils and the money that comes with each one, the budget is squeezed quickly and staffing is the only big thing left to cut. In 2024–25 and 2025–26, mainstream school funding per pupil grew by 2 percentage points less than school costs, partly because rising special needs costs took a large share of the extra money. A deficit usually comes from several of these pressures at once, not one bad decision. (IFS, pp. 62–63)
What helps. Schools in this position usually agree a recovery plan with ST CHAD'S ACADEMIES TRUST, often over two or three years, and governors check progress against it each term. The questions further down are a good way to start that conversation.
Status by year
- 2018-19 Large reserves reserve 8% or more of a year's income
- 2019-20 Large reserves same as the year before
- 2020-21 Large reserves same as the year before
- 2021-22 Large reserves same as the year before
- 2022-23 Healthy reserve between 3% and 8% of a year's income
- 2023-24 Tight reserve under 3% of a year's income
- 2024-25 In deficit reserve below zero
Government funding vs spending per pupil
In 2024-25, government funding was £1.6m £6,403 per pupil and spending £1.8m £7,315 per pupil. Spending was £226k £911 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 | 248.0 | £1.8m £7,258 per pupil | £1.8m £7,315 per pupil | -£14k -£56 per pupil | -£17k -£69 per pupil |
| 2023-24 | 255.0 | £1.7m £6,631 per pupil | £1.6m £6,412 per pupil | +£56k +£220 per pupil | £2k £8 per pupil |
| 2022-23 | 242.0 | £1.6m £6,492 per pupil | £1.6m £6,525 per pupil | -£8k -£33 per pupil | £71k £293 per pupil |
| 2021-22 | 239.0 | £1.4m £5,900 per pupil | £1.4m £5,816 per pupil | +£20k +£84 per pupil | £186k £778 per pupil |
| 2020-21 | 228.0 | £1.4m £6,132 per pupil | £1.4m £5,965 per pupil | +£38k +£167 per pupil | £245k £1,075 per pupil |
| 2019-20 | 228.0 | £1.3m £5,579 per pupil | £1.1m £4,956 per pupil | +£142k +£623 per pupil | £209k £917 per pupil |
| 2018-19 | 228.0 | £1.2m £5,461 per pupil | £1.1m £4,860 per pupil | +£137k +£601 per pupil | £112k £491 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 | £1.8m £7,258 per pupil | +33% +4% real | £6k | |
| Government funding | £1.6m £6,403 per pupil | +46% +15% real | £6k | |
| Special needs (SEN) funding | £54k £218 per pupil | +2322% +1918% real | £191 | |
| Pupil premium | Not reported in academy accounts | |||
| Money the school raised itself | £216k £871 per pupil | -18% -35% real | £398 | |
| Donations (day-to-day) | £16k £65 per pupil | -22% -39% real | £16 | |
| Donations for buildings and equipment | Not reported in academy accounts | |||
| Facilities and services | £124k £500 per pupil | +502% +372% real | £156 | |
| Catering income | £31k £125 per pupil | +36% +7% real | £79 | |
| Other DfE grants | £127k £512 per pupil | +46% +15% real | £229 | |
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 | £1.8m £7,315 per pupil | +51% +18% real | £6k | |
| Teachers | £950k £3,831 per pupil | +54% +21% real | £3k | |
| Supply staff | £58k £234 per pupil | +37% +7% real | £113 | |
| Support staff | £174k £702 per pupil | +27% -0% real | £1k | |
| Office and admin staff | £93k £375 per pupil | +78% +40% real | £253 | |
| Premises staff | £17k £69 per pupil | +165% +106% real | £141 | |
| Catering staff | £0 £0 per pupil | £0 | ||
| Other staff costs | £94k £379 per pupil | +146% +94% real | £224 | |
| All staff costs | £1.4m £5,589 per pupil | +57% +23% real | £5k | |
| Premises | £79k £319 per pupil | -13% -32% real | £319 | |
| Energy | £32k £129 per pupil | +84% +45% real | £89 | |
| Rates, water and other building costs | £177k £714 per pupil | +57% +23% real | £508 | |
| Catering | £113k £456 per pupil | +25% -2% real | £285 | |
| Learning resources | £81k £327 per pupil | +91% +50% real | £311 | |
| Supplies and services | £169k £681 per pupil | +71% +34% real | £566 | |
| Bought-in services | £65k £262 per pupil | +745% +568% real | £142 |
Staff costs were 76% 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 £1.8m £7,456 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
- 2018-19 228.0
- 2019-20 228.0
- 2020-21 228.0
- 2021-22 239.0
- 2022-23 242.0
- 2023-24 255.0
- 2024-25 248.0
Income that passed straight through
In 2024-25, this school's income rose by +£109k +£440 per pupil on the year before, and its staff costs by +£96k +£387 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 ST CHAD'S ACADEMIES TRUST spent centrally per pupil, on top of this school's own accounts:
- 2018-19 £275
- 2019-20 £211
- 2020-21 -£25
- 2021-22 £178
- 2022-23 £216
- 2023-24 £306
- 2024-25 £272
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 September 2025 | £7k | £10k |
| 2024-25 year to September 2024 | £11k £43 per pupil | £11k £44 per pupil |
| 2023-24 year to September 2023 | £11k £42 per pupil | £5k £20 per pupil |
| 2022-23 year to September 2022 | £14k £59 per pupil | £18k £74 per pupil |
| 2020-21 year to August 2021 | £5k £21 per pupil | £8k £35 per pupil |
- BISHOP LONSDALE PTFA (charity 1050957) Latest return: £7k in the year to September 2025. It reports 10 volunteers. Annual return due 6 July 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
- 12% of pupils eligible for free school meals (median school: council 18%, England 22%)
- Neighbourhood deprivation decile 9 of 10 (1 = most deprived)
- Income deprivation affecting children: decile 8 of 10 (1 = most deprived)
- 40% of adults nearby hold a degree-level qualification
- 84% of nearby homes are owner-occupied
- 5% 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 £1.0m £4,065 per pupil
- Support staff £174k £702 per pupil
- Buildings and grounds £79k £319 per pupil
- Energy £32k £129 per pupil
- Learning resources £81k £327 per pupil
- Everything else £440k £1,774 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.
- What is the plan to get Bishop Lonsdale Church of England Primary Academy back into balance, and how many years will it take? Has ST CHAD'S ACADEMIES TRUST agreed it?
- How much of Bishop Lonsdale Church of England Primary Academy's funding does ST CHAD'S 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?
- What is driving the deficit: falling pupil numbers, staff costs, special needs support, or something else? Why ask: Over 80% of schools' costs are staff costs. (IFS, p. 63)
- Does the school's reserve figure include its share of the trust's central reserves?
- How does Bishop Lonsdale 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)
- Will the recovery plan change class sizes, the subjects on offer or the number of support staff?
- 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.
- Heighington Church of England Primary School
- Southfield Primary
- Rode Heath Primary School
- Longford Park Primary Academy
- Ridgeway Primary Academy
Admissions and catchments for Bishop Lonsdale Church of England Primary Academy on Schools in Reach · All Staffordshire school finances · Schools in Stafford · ST CHAD'S 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)