Farrington Gurney Church of England Primary School: school finances
Latest full year 2024-25, as an academy (accounts return, September to August). Bath and North East Somerset · Primary · Academy converter
Large reserves
Holds £112k £1,199 per pupil in reserve, 15% of a year's income.
Status by year
- 2018-19 Tight reserve under 3% of a year's income
- 2019-20 Healthy reserve between 3% and 8% of a year's income
- 2020-21 Large reserves reserve 8% or more of a year's income
- 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 £726k £7,806 per pupil and spending £713k £7,667 per pupil. Government funding was £13k £140 per pupil more than spending.
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 | 93.0 | £768k £8,258 per pupil | £713k £7,667 per pupil | +£55k +£591 per pupil | £114k £1,226 per pupil |
| 2023-24 | 101.0 | £652k £6,455 per pupil | £649k £6,426 per pupil | +£3k +£30 per pupil | £98k £970 per pupil |
| 2022-23 | 104.0 | £618k £5,942 per pupil | £569k £5,471 per pupil | +£49k +£471 per pupil | £93k £894 per pupil |
| 2021-22 | 101.0 | £523k £5,178 per pupil | £487k £4,822 per pupil | +£36k +£356 per pupil | £73k £723 per pupil |
| 2020-21 | 87.0 | £538k £6,184 per pupil | £486k £5,586 per pupil | +£52k +£598 per pupil | £58k £667 per pupil |
| 2019-20 | 94.0 | £509k £5,415 per pupil | £468k £4,979 per pupil | +£41k +£436 per pupil | £27k £287 per pupil |
| 2018-19 | 90.0 | £471k £5,233 per pupil | £442k £4,911 per pupil | +£29k +£322 per pupil | £11k £122 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 | £768k £8,258 per pupil | +58% +24% real | £8k | |
| Government funding | £726k £7,806 per pupil | +52% +20% real | £7k | |
| Special needs (SEN) funding | £52k £559 per pupil | £227 | ||
| Pupil premium | Not reported in academy accounts | |||
| Money the school raised itself | £13k £140 per pupil | +26% -1% real | £433 | |
| Donations (day-to-day) | £1k £11 per pupil | £53 | ||
| Donations for buildings and equipment | Not reported in academy accounts | |||
| Facilities and services | £11k £118 per pupil | £189 | ||
| Catering income | £0 £0 per pupil | £82 | ||
| Other DfE grants | £0 £0 per pupil | £289 | ||
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 | £713k £7,667 per pupil | +56% +23% real | £8k | |
| Teachers | £304k £3,269 per pupil | +30% +2% real | £4k | |
| Supply staff | £30k £323 per pupil | +382% +283% real | £57 | |
| Support staff | £123k £1,323 per pupil | +42% +11% real | £1k | |
| Office and admin staff | £54k £581 per pupil | +94% +52% real | £356 | |
| Premises staff | £19k £204 per pupil | +162% +106% real | £1 | |
| Catering staff | £0 £0 per pupil | £0 | ||
| Other staff costs | £17k £183 per pupil | +135% +84% real | £185 | |
| All staff costs | £528k £5,677 per pupil | +46% +15% real | £6k | |
| Premises | £22k £237 per pupil | -7% -27% real | £321 | |
| Energy | £9k £97 per pupil | +45% +15% real | £114 | |
| Rates, water and other building costs | £38k £409 per pupil | +145% +93% real | £565 | |
| Catering | £16k £172 per pupil | £343 | ||
| Learning resources | £25k £269 per pupil | -22% -39% real | £455 | |
| Supplies and services | £125k £1,344 per pupil | +124% +76% real | £861 | |
| Bought-in services | £27k £290 per pupil | +53% +21% real | £217 |
Staff costs were 74% 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 £727k £7,815 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 90.0
- 2019-20 94.0
- 2020-21 87.0
- 2021-22 101.0
- 2022-23 104.0
- 2023-24 101.0
- 2024-25 93.0
Trust central spending
What MIDSOMER NORTON SCHOOLS PARTNERSHIP spent centrally per pupil, on top of this school's own accounts:
- 2018-19 £0
- 2019-20 £200
- 2020-21 £683
- 2021-22 £851
- 2022-23 £598
- 2023-24 £858
- 2024-25 £730
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 £73 per pupil | £6k £63 per pupil |
| 2023-24 year to August 2024 | £8k £75 per pupil | £4k £41 per pupil |
| 2022-23 year to August 2023 | £6k £54 per pupil | £3k £27 per pupil |
| 2021-22 year to August 2022 | £4k £35 per pupil | £5k £50 per pupil |
| 2020-21 year to August 2021 | £7k £75 per pupil | £2k £28 per pupil |
- FRIENDS OF FARRINGTON GURNEY SCHOOL (charity 1034713) Latest return: £7k £73 per pupil in the year to August 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
- 10% of pupils eligible for free school meals (median school: council 15%, England 22%)
- Neighbourhood deprivation decile 8 of 10 (1 = most deprived)
- Income deprivation affecting children: decile 8 of 10 (1 = most deprived)
- 31% of adults nearby hold a degree-level qualification
- 80% of nearby homes are owner-occupied
- 12% 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 £334k £3,591 per pupil
- Support staff £123k £1,323 per pupil
- Buildings and grounds £22k £237 per pupil
- Energy £9k £97 per pupil
- Learning resources £25k £269 per pupil
- Everything else £200k £2,151 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.
- What is Farrington Gurney Church of England Primary School's £112k £1,199 per pupil reserve being kept for, and is there a timetable to spend it?
- How much of Farrington Gurney Church of England Primary School's funding does MIDSOMER NORTON SCHOOLS PARTNERSHIP 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 school's reserve figure include its share of the trust's central reserves?
- How does Farrington Gurney 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)
- Could some be spent on current pupils without putting future years at risk?
- 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.
- Pilling St John's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School
- Barnham Broom Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School
- Marksbury CofE Primary School
- Nacton Church of England Primary School
- St Mary's Priory CofE Infant & Nursery School
Admissions and catchments for Farrington Gurney Church of England Primary School on Schools in Reach · All Bath and North East Somerset school finances · Schools in North East Somerset and Hanham · MIDSOMER NORTON SCHOOLS PARTNERSHIP
- 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)