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Sharnford Church of England Primary School: school finances

Latest full year 2024-25, as an academy (accounts return, September to August). Leicestershire · Primary · Academy converter

Large reserves

Holds £57k £620 per pupil in reserve, 8% of a year's income.

Status by year

  1. 2018-19 Large reserves reserve 8% or more of a year's income
  2. 2019-20 Large reserves same as the year before
  3. 2020-21 Large reserves same as the year before
  4. 2021-22 Healthy reserve between 3% and 8% of a year's income
  5. 2022-23 Healthy same as the year before
  6. 2023-24 Tight reserve under 3% of a year's income
  7. 2024-25 Large reserves reserve 8% or more of a year's income
Present and share

School presentation · PTFA presentation

School Wrapped: Sharnford Church of England Primary School's year in money · PTFA Wrapped

Government funding vs spending per pupil

In 2024-25, government funding was £687k £7,467 per pupil and spending £593k £6,446 per pupil. Government funding was £94k £1,022 per pupil more than spending.

Government funding and spending per pupil, 2018-19 to 2024-25Government funding and spending per pupil each year, 2018-19 to 2024-25. 2018-19: funding £5k, spending £5k; 2019-20: funding £5k, spending £5k; 2020-21: funding £6k, spending £6k; 2021-22: funding £6k, spending £6k; 2022-23: funding £6k, spending £6k; 2023-24: funding £7k, spending £6k; 2024-25: funding £7k, spending £6k£4,000£5,000£6,000£7,0002018-192020-212022-232024-25Gov. fundingSpendingSimilarGov. fundingSpending

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

Reserve per pupil, 2018-19 to 2024-25Reserve per pupil at the end of each year. 2018-19: £866; 2019-20: £796; 2020-21: £563; 2021-22: £465; 2022-23: £434; 2023-24: £0; 2024-25: £0£0£500£1,0002018-192020-212022-232024-25ReserveSimilarReserve

Real terms: in 2025-26 prices (HM Treasury GDP deflator, October 2026).

Each year's figures, newest first
YearPupilsIncomeSpendingIn-year balanceReserve at year end
2024-2592.0£707k £7,685 per pupil£593k £6,446 per pupil+£114k +£1,239 per pupil£0 £0 per pupil
2023-2495.0£725k £7,632 per pupil£562k £5,916 per pupil+£163k +£1,716 per pupil£0 £0 per pupil
2022-23106.0£660k £6,226 per pupil£619k £5,840 per pupil+£41k +£387 per pupil£46k £434 per pupil
2021-22101.0£623k £6,168 per pupil£586k £5,802 per pupil+£37k +£366 per pupil£47k £465 per pupil
2020-2196.0£576k £6,000 per pupil£569k £5,927 per pupil+£7k +£73 per pupil£54k £562 per pupil
2019-2093.0£533k £5,731 per pupil£505k £5,430 per pupil+£28k +£301 per pupil£74k £796 per pupil
2018-1982.0£444k £5,415 per pupil£388k £4,732 per pupil+£56k +£683 per pupil£71k £866 per pupil

Where the money comes from

Income in 2024-25, with the trend per pupil since 2018-19
Line2024-25Trend per pupilChange per pupil since 2018-19Similar schools (median per pupil)
Total income£707k £7,685 per pupil+42% +12% real£8k
Government funding£687k £7,467 per pupil+42% +11% real£8k
Special needs (SEN) funding£19k £207 per pupil+54% +21% real£312
Pupil premiumNot reported in academy accounts
Money the school raised itself£9k £98 per pupil-33% -47% real£415
Donations (day-to-day)£4k £43 per pupil-30% -44% real£41
Donations for buildings and equipmentNot reported in academy accounts
Facilities and services£1k £11 per pupil-8% -31% real£153
Catering income£0 £0 per pupil£35
Other DfE grants£0 £0 per pupil-100% -100% real£332

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

Spending in 2024-25, with the trend per pupil since 2018-19
Line2024-25Trend per pupilChange per pupil since 2018-19Similar schools (median per pupil)
Total spending£593k £6,446 per pupil+36% +7% real£8k
Teachers£305k £3,315 per pupil+63% +28% real£4k
Supply staff£38k £413 per pupil+466% +343% real£124
Support staff£120k £1,304 per pupil+20% -6% real£1k
Office and admin staff£40k £435 per pupil+55% +22% real£448
Premises staff£15k £163 per pupil-16% -34% real£49
Catering staff£0 £0 per pupil£0
Other staff costs£1k £11 per pupil-89% -91% real£273
All staff costs£504k £5,478 per pupil+53% +21% real£6k
Premises£26k £283 per pupil-17% -35% real£393
Energy£8k £87 per pupil+19% -6% real£130
Rates, water and other building costs£8k £87 per pupil-21% -37% real£580
Catering£0 £0 per pupil-100% -100% real£285
Learning resources£49k £533 per pupil-22% -39% real£400
Supplies and services£54k £587 per pupil-17% -35% real£774
Bought-in services£0 £0 per pupil-100% -100% real£228

Staff costs were 85% 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 £604k £6,570 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

  1. 2018-19 82.0
  2. 2019-20 93.0
  3. 2020-21 96.0
  4. 2021-22 101.0
  5. 2022-23 106.0
  6. 2023-24 95.0
  7. 2024-25 92.0

Trust central spending

What INSPIRING PRIMARIES ACADEMY TRUST spent centrally per pupil, on top of this school's own accounts:

  1. 2018-19 £331
  2. 2019-20 £291
  3. 2020-21 £255
  4. 2021-22 £317
  5. 2022-23 £274
  6. 2023-24 £935
  7. 2024-25 £1k

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 Sharnford 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

academy · Primary · Mixed · INSPIRING PRIMARIES ACADEMY TRUST (multi-academy trust) · Church of England

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.

National context

Questions to ask the school

Useful for parents, governors and PTFA committees.

  1. What is Sharnford Church of England Primary School's £57k £620 per pupil reserve being kept for, and is there a timetable to spend it?
  2. How much of Sharnford Church of England Primary School's funding does INSPIRING PRIMARIES 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)
  3. How much does the PTA (or friends' association) raise each year, and what does it pay for?
  4. Is any of it already committed, for example to building work or to cover a planned overspend?
  5. Does the school's reserve figure include its share of the trust's central reserves?
  6. How does Sharnford 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)
  7. Could some be spent on current pupils without putting future years at risk?
  8. 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.

Compare side by side

Admissions and catchments for Sharnford Church of England Primary School on Schools in Reach · All Leicestershire school finances · Schools in South Leicestershire · INSPIRING PRIMARIES ACADEMY TRUST