Ravensworth Church of England Primary School: school finances
Latest full year 2024-25, as an academy (accounts return, September to August). North Yorkshire · Primary · Academy converter
Heading for deficit
Has spent more than it received for 2 years running; at that rate its £59k £1,229 per pupil reserve runs out in about 3 years.
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 DALES 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 Tight reserve under 3% of a year's income
- 2022-23 Tight same as the year before
- 2023-24 Tight same as the year before
- 2024-25 Heading for deficit spending more than it received, reserve running down
Government funding vs spending per pupil
In 2024-25, government funding was £456k £9,500 per pupil and spending £533k £11,104 per pupil. Spending was £77k £1,604 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 | 48.0 | £492k £10,250 per pupil | £533k £11,104 per pupil | -£41k -£854 per pupil | £0 £0 per pupil |
| 2023-24 | 44.0 | £465k £10,568 per pupil | £540k £12,273 per pupil | -£75k -£1,705 per pupil | £0 £0 per pupil |
| 2022-23 | 43.0 | £517k £12,023 per pupil | £471k £10,953 per pupil | +£46k +£1,070 per pupil | £0 £0 per pupil |
| 2021-22 | 43.0 | £337k £7,837 per pupil | £348k £8,093 per pupil | -£11k -£256 per pupil | £0 £0 per pupil |
| 2020-21 | 39.0 | £336k £8,615 per pupil | £302k £7,744 per pupil | +£34k +£872 per pupil | £107k £2,744 per pupil |
| 2019-20 | 42.0 | £363k £8,643 per pupil | £331k £7,881 per pupil | +£32k +£762 per pupil | £97k £2,310 per pupil |
| 2018-19 | 56.0 | £404k £7,214 per pupil | £388k £6,929 per pupil | +£16k +£286 per pupil | £80k £1,429 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 | £492k £10,250 per pupil | +42% +12% real | £11k | |
| Government funding | £456k £9,500 per pupil | +40% +10% real | £10k | |
| Special needs (SEN) funding | £0 £0 per pupil | £360 | ||
| Pupil premium | Not reported in academy accounts | |||
| Money the school raised itself | £36k £750 per pupil | +75% +37% real | £464 | |
| Donations (day-to-day) | £8k £167 per pupil | -7% -27% real | £52 | |
| Donations for buildings and equipment | Not reported in academy accounts | |||
| Facilities and services | £15k £312 per pupil | £145 | ||
| Catering income | £9k £188 per pupil | +31% +3% real | £93 | |
| Other DfE grants | £14k £292 per pupil | -59% -68% real | £479 | |
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 | £533k £11,104 per pupil | +60% +26% real | £10k | |
| Teachers | £242k £5,042 per pupil | +60% +26% real | £5k | |
| Supply staff | £9k £188 per pupil | -50% -61% real | £134 | |
| Support staff | £74k £1,542 per pupil | +15% -10% real | £2k | |
| Office and admin staff | £38k £792 per pupil | +217% +149% real | £590 | |
| Premises staff | £0 £0 per pupil | £231 | ||
| Catering staff | £1k £21 per pupil | -80% -85% real | £0 | |
| Other staff costs | £13k £271 per pupil | +282% +197% real | £215 | |
| All staff costs | £376k £7,833 per pupil | +51% +19% real | £8k | |
| Premises | £44k £917 per pupil | +90% +49% real | £530 | |
| Energy | £13k £271 per pupil | +117% +70% real | £176 | |
| Rates, water and other building costs | £68k £1,417 per pupil | +76% +39% real | £860 | |
| Catering | £44k £917 per pupil | +71% +34% real | £423 | |
| Learning resources | £29k £604 per pupil | +88% +48% real | £602 | |
| Supplies and services | £45k £938 per pupil | +102% +59% real | £1k | |
| Bought-in services | £6k £125 per pupil | +17% -9% real | £397 |
Staff costs were 71% 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 £543k £11,318 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 56.0
- 2019-20 42.0
- 2020-21 39.0
- 2021-22 43.0
- 2022-23 43.0
- 2023-24 44.0
- 2024-25 48.0
Pupil numbers fell from 56.0 to 48.0 (14% fewer) over the years shown.
Schools are mostly funded per pupil, so fewer pupils means less money. Costs do not fall in step: a class with a few fewer pupils still needs a teacher. Primary schools in England have already lost about 100,000 pupils (3%) between 2019–20 and 2024–25, and are expected to lose over 300,000 more (about 8%) by 2030–31. Secondary numbers are expected to start falling from about 2026–27. The IFS points out that money is only saved if schools actually reduce what they spend, such as staff or the number of schools. That is why a well-run school with falling numbers can still find its budget under pressure. (IFS, pp. 19, 64)
Trust central spending
What DALES ACADEMIES TRUST spent centrally per pupil, on top of this school's own accounts:
- 2018-19 £156
- 2019-20 £194
- 2020-21 £381
- 2021-22 £384
- 2022-23 £501
- 2023-24 £427
- 2024-25 £346
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 July 2025 | £8k £169 per pupil | £12k £255 per pupil |
| 2023-24 year to July 2024 | £9k £195 per pupil | £6k £147 per pupil |
| 2022-23 year to July 2023 | £6k £142 per pupil | £4k £84 per pupil |
| 2021-22 year to July 2022 | £4k £88 per pupil | £3k £65 per pupil |
| 2020-21 year to July 2021 | £1k £29 per pupil | £5k £118 per pupil |
- RAVENSWORTH SCHOOL FRIENDS ASSOCIATION (charity 1087682) Latest return: £8k £169 per pupil in the year to 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
- 14% of pupils eligible for free school meals (median school: council 15%, England 22%)
- Neighbourhood deprivation decile 5 of 10 (1 = most deprived)
- Income deprivation affecting children: decile 8 of 10 (1 = most deprived)
- 38% of adults nearby hold a degree-level qualification
- 61% of nearby homes are owner-occupied
- 8% 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 £251k £5,229 per pupil
- Support staff £74k £1,542 per pupil
- Buildings and grounds £44k £917 per pupil
- Energy £13k £271 per pupil
- Learning resources £29k £604 per pupil
- Everything else £122k £2,542 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)
Questions to ask the school
Useful for parents, governors and PTFA committees.
- Ravensworth Church of England Primary School has spent more than it received for 2 years. Is that planned, and what does the school expect its reserve to be in three years' time?
- How many pupils does Ravensworth Church of England Primary School expect in each year group over the next three years? Why ask: Primary pupil numbers in England are expected to fall by over 300,000 (about 8%) by 2030–31. (IFS, p. 19)
- How much of Ravensworth Church of England Primary School's funding does DALES 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 does the budget assume about pay rises and pupil numbers over the next three years? Why ask: The IFS projects school costs could grow 0.5 to 1 percentage points a year faster than funding to 2028–29. (IFS, p. 11)
- Is the school planning to merge classes, share staff or work more closely with another school?
- Does the school's reserve figure include its share of the trust's central reserves?
- How does Ravensworth 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)
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.
- St Andrew's Church of England Primary School
- Yeoford Community Primary School
- Occold Primary School
- Spaxton CofE Primary School
- Lamerton CofE Primary Academy
Admissions and catchments for Ravensworth Church of England Primary School on Schools in Reach · All North Yorkshire school finances · Schools in Richmond and Northallerton · DALES 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)