The Academy of St Francis of Assisi: school finances
Latest full year 2024-25, as an academy (accounts return, September to August). Liverpool · Secondary · Academy sponsor led
Large reserves
Holds £972k £1,086 per pupil in reserve, 10% 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 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 Large reserves reserve 5% or more of a year's income
Government funding vs spending per pupil
In 2024-25, government funding was £10.2m £11,345 per pupil and spending £7.1m £7,886 per pupil. Government funding was £3.1m £3,459 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 | 895.0 | £10.2m £11,421 per pupil | £7.1m £7,886 per pupil | +£3.2m +£3,535 per pupil | £0 £0 per pupil |
| 2023-24 | 887.0 | £9.6m £10,829 per pupil | £6.5m £7,375 per pupil | +£3.1m +£3,453 per pupil | £0 £0 per pupil |
| 2022-23 | 890.0 | £7.8m £8,806 per pupil | £6.3m £7,094 per pupil | +£1.5m +£1,711 per pupil | £0 £0 per pupil |
| 2021-22 | 866.0 | £7.2m £8,268 per pupil | £5.6m £6,470 per pupil | +£1.6m +£1,798 per pupil | £0 £0 per pupil |
| 2020-21 | 866.0 | £6.6m £7,640 per pupil | £5.2m £5,962 per pupil | +£1.5m +£1,678 per pupil | £1.7m £1,924 per pupil |
| 2019-20 | 852.0 | £6.2m £7,231 per pupil | £794k £932 per pupil | +£5.4m +£6,299 per pupil | £1.1m £1,305 per pupil |
| 2018-19 | 811.0 | £5.7m £7,073 per pupil | £5.6m £6,940 per pupil | +£108k +£133 per pupil | £136k £168 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 | £10.2m £11,421 per pupil | +61% +27% real | £10k | |
| Government funding | £10.2m £11,345 per pupil | +67% +31% real | £9k | |
| Special needs (SEN) funding | £475k £531 per pupil | £129 | ||
| Pupil premium | Not reported in academy accounts | |||
| Money the school raised itself | £156k £174 per pupil | -35% -49% real | £172 | |
| Donations (day-to-day) | £0 £0 per pupil recorded | -100% -100% real | £0 | |
| Donations for buildings and equipment | Not reported in academy accounts | |||
| Facilities and services | £63k £70 per pupil | +483% +350% real | £44 | |
| Catering income | £93k £104 per pupil | -17% -34% real | £1 | |
| Other DfE grants | £71k £79 per pupil | £33 | ||
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 | £7.1m £7,886 per pupil | +14% -11% real | £9k | |
| Teachers | £3.6m £4,038 per pupil | +2% -20% real | £4k | |
| Supply staff | £649k £725 per pupil | +342% +247% real | £184 | |
| Support staff | £903k £1,009 per pupil | +357% +259% real | £1k | |
| Office and admin staff | £393k £439 per pupil | -52% -62% real | £480 | |
| Premises staff | £125k £140 per pupil | -7% -27% real | £129 | |
| Catering staff | £206k £230 per pupil | +45% +14% real | £0 | |
| Other staff costs | £62k £69 per pupil | +229% +163% real | £118 | |
| All staff costs | £5.6m £6,280 per pupil | +19% -6% real | £7k | |
| Premises | £348k £389 per pupil | +17% -8% real | £455 | |
| Energy | £0 £0 per pupil | -100% -100% real | £187 | |
| Rates, water and other building costs | £453k £506 per pupil | -2% -23% real | £590 | |
| Catering | £442k £494 per pupil | +34% +5% real | £254 | |
| Learning resources | £424k £474 per pupil | -29% -44% real | £549 | |
| Supplies and services | £636k £711 per pupil | -13% -31% real | £849 | |
| Bought-in services | £80k £89 per pupil | -40% -53% real | £116 |
Staff costs were 80% 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 £7.2m £8,038 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
- 2018-19 811.0
- 2019-20 852.0
- 2020-21 866.0
- 2021-22 866.0
- 2022-23 890.0
- 2023-24 887.0
- 2024-25 895.0
Income that passed straight through
In 2024-25, this school's income rose by +£617k +£689 per pupil on the year before, and its staff costs by +£604k +£675 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 THE LIVERPOOL JOINT CATHOLIC AND CHURCH OF ENGLAND ACADEMIES TRUST spent centrally per pupil, on top of this school's own accounts:
- 2018-19 £10
- 2019-20 £0
- 2020-21 £0
- 2021-22 £824
- 2022-23 £1k
- 2023-24 £984
- 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 The Academy of St Francis of Assisi. 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
- 58% of pupils eligible for free school meals (median school: council 39%, England 22%)
- Neighbourhood deprivation decile 1 of 10 (1 = most deprived)
- Income deprivation affecting children: decile 1 of 10 (1 = most deprived)
- 30% of adults nearby hold a degree-level qualification
- 19% of nearby homes are owner-occupied
- 38% of nearby homes are social rented
Intake band 5 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 £4.3m £4,763 per pupil
- Support staff £903k £1,009 per pupil
- Buildings and grounds £348k £389 per pupil
- Energy £0 £0 per pupil
- Learning resources £424k £474 per pupil
- Everything else £1.1m £1,251 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 The Academy of St Francis of Assisi's £972k £1,086 per pupil reserve being kept for, and is there a timetable to spend it?
- How many pupils at The Academy of St Francis of Assisi 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 The Academy of St Francis of Assisi's funding does THE LIVERPOOL JOINT CATHOLIC AND CHURCH OF ENGLAND 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?
- 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 The Academy of St Francis of Assisi'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.
- The Albion Academy
- The Lowry Academy
- City of Derby Academy
- Bartley Green School
- Oasis Academy Wintringham
Admissions and catchments for The Academy of St Francis of Assisi on Schools in Reach · All Liverpool school finances · Schools in Liverpool Wavertree · THE LIVERPOOL JOINT CATHOLIC AND CHURCH OF ENGLAND 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
- 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)