St James's Church of England High School: school finances
Latest full year 2024-25, as an academy (accounts return, September to August). Bolton · Secondary · Academy converter
Large reserves
Holds £526k £494 per pupil in reserve, 6% of a year's income.
Status by year
- 2018-19 Tight reserve under 3% of a year's income
- 2019-20 Large reserves reserve 5% or more of a year's income
- 2020-21 Large reserves same as the year before
- 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 £8.0m £7,533 per pupil and spending £8.1m £7,584 per pupil. Spending was £54k £51 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 | 1,065.0 | £8.5m £8,008 per pupil | £8.1m £7,584 per pupil | +£451k +£423 per pupil | £336k £315 per pupil |
| 2023-24 | 1,051.0 | £8.1m £7,667 per pupil | £7.8m £7,426 per pupil | +£253k +£241 per pupil | £495k £471 per pupil |
| 2022-23 | 1,046.0 | £7.6m £7,254 per pupil | £7.3m £6,940 per pupil | +£329k +£315 per pupil | £694k £663 per pupil |
| 2021-22 | 1,057.0 | £7.2m £6,822 per pupil | £7.2m £6,769 per pupil | +£56k +£53 per pupil | £700k £662 per pupil |
| 2020-21 | 1,069.0 | £7.2m £6,690 per pupil | £6.5m £6,126 per pupil | +£603k +£564 per pupil | £816k £763 per pupil |
| 2019-20 | 1,071.0 | £7.0m £6,518 per pupil | £6.5m £6,047 per pupil | +£505k +£472 per pupil | £496k £463 per pupil |
| 2018-19 | 1,061.0 | £6.8m £6,446 per pupil | £6.7m £6,318 per pupil | +£136k +£128 per pupil | £99k £93 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 | £8.5m £8,008 per pupil | +24% -2% real | £8k | |
| Government funding | £8.0m £7,533 per pupil | +35% +6% real | £7k | |
| Special needs (SEN) funding | £356k £334 per pupil | +55% +22% real | £193 | |
| Pupil premium | Not reported in academy accounts | |||
| Money the school raised itself | £453k £425 per pupil | -51% -61% real | £250 | |
| Donations (day-to-day) | £9k £8 per pupil | -98% -98% real | £2 | |
| Donations for buildings and equipment | Not reported in academy accounts | |||
| Facilities and services | £23k £22 per pupil | -89% -92% real | £88 | |
| Catering income | £391k £367 per pupil | +32% +4% real | £0 | |
| Other DfE grants | £11k £10 per pupil | -67% -72% real | £31 | |
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 | £8.1m £7,584 per pupil | +20% -6% real | £7k | |
| Teachers | £4.9m £4,628 per pupil | +33% +4% real | £4k | |
| Supply staff | £151k £142 per pupil | +145% +91% real | £115 | |
| Support staff | £625k £587 per pupil | +25% -2% real | £819 | |
| Office and admin staff | £359k £337 per pupil | +4% -18% real | £384 | |
| Premises staff | £117k £110 per pupil | -50% -61% real | £134 | |
| Catering staff | £188k £177 per pupil | +13% -12% real | £0 | |
| Other staff costs | £154k £145 per pupil | +19% -7% real | £86 | |
| All staff costs | £6.3m £5,873 per pupil | +32% +4% real | £6k | |
| Premises | £375k £352 per pupil | -12% -31% real | £431 | |
| Energy | £148k £139 per pupil | +144% +89% real | £136 | |
| Rates, water and other building costs | £646k £607 per pupil | +2% -20% real | £411 | |
| Catering | £401k £377 per pupil | +23% -3% real | £112 | |
| Learning resources | £564k £530 per pupil | +37% +8% real | £490 | |
| Supplies and services | £801k £752 per pupil | -13% -31% real | £753 | |
| Bought-in services | £28k £26 per pupil | +100% +59% real | £103 |
Staff costs were 77% 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 £8.2m £7,730 per pupil in 2024-25. Across England, secondary schools are expected to spend about £7,800 per pupil in 2025–26, including sixth forms. (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 1,061.0
- 2019-20 1,071.0
- 2020-21 1,069.0
- 2021-22 1,057.0
- 2022-23 1,046.0
- 2023-24 1,051.0
- 2024-25 1,065.0
Trust central spending
What THE BISHOP FRASER TRUST spent centrally per pupil, on top of this school's own accounts:
- 2018-19 £52
- 2019-20 £68
- 2020-21 £249
- 2021-22 -£38
- 2022-23 £313
- 2023-24 £406
- 2024-25 £389
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2023-24 year to August 2024 | £164 £0 per pupil | £312 £0 per pupil |
| 2022-23 year to August 2023 | £5k £5 per pupil | £19k £18 per pupil |
| 2021-22 year to August 2022 | £8k £7 per pupil | £10k £9 per pupil |
| 2020-21 year to August 2021 | £7k £7 per pupil | £3k £3 per pupil |
- ST JAMES C OF E SCHOOL APPEALS ASSOCIATION (charity 1003076) Latest return: £164 £0 per pupil in the year to August 2024. It reports 5 volunteers. Annual return due 30 June 2021.
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
- 20% of pupils eligible for free school meals (median school: council 26%, England 22%)
- Neighbourhood deprivation decile 1 of 10 (1 = most deprived)
- Income deprivation affecting children: decile 2 of 10 (1 = most deprived)
- 21% of adults nearby hold a degree-level qualification
- 45% of nearby homes are owner-occupied
- 41% 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 £5.1m £4,770 per pupil
- Support staff £625k £587 per pupil
- Buildings and grounds £375k £352 per pupil
- Energy £148k £139 per pupil
- Learning resources £564k £530 per pupil
- Everything else £1.3m £1,207 per pupil
National context
- Secondary pupil numbers in England are expected to fall by about 100,000 (4%) by 2030–31, starting from about 2026–27. (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's Church of England High School's £526k £494 per pupil reserve being kept for, and is there a timetable to spend it?
- How many pupils at St James's Church of England High 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's Church of England High School's funding does THE BISHOP FRASER 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's Church of England High 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.
Admissions and catchments for St James's Church of England High School on Schools in Reach · All Bolton school finances · Schools in Bolton South and Walkden · THE BISHOP FRASER 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)