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St Nicholas Chantry Church of England Primary School: school finances

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

Healthy

Holds £108k £327 per pupil in reserve, 5% of a year's income.

Status by year

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

School presentation · PTFA presentation

School Wrapped: St Nicholas Chantry Church of England Primary School's year in money · PTFA Wrapped

Government funding vs spending per pupil

In 2024-25, government funding was £1.9m £5,760 per pupil and spending £1.9m £5,769 per pupil. Spending was £3k £9 per pupil more than government funding; the difference came from other income, such as lettings, catering or donations, or from the school's reserve.

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 £4k, spending £4k; 2019-20: funding £4k, spending £4k; 2020-21: funding £5k, spending £4k; 2021-22: funding £5k, spending £5k; 2022-23: funding £5k, spending £5k; 2023-24: funding £5k, spending £5k; 2024-25: funding £6k, spending £6k£3,000£4,000£5,000£6,0002018-192020-212022-232024-25Gov. 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: £140; 2019-20: £31; 2020-21: £91; 2021-22: £364; 2022-23: £0; 2023-24: £0; 2024-25: £0£0£200£4002018-192020-212022-232024-25ReserveSimilarReserve

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

Each year's figures, newest first
YearPupilsIncomeSpendingIn-year balanceReserve at year end
2024-25329.0£2.0m £6,109 per pupil£1.9m £5,769 per pupil+£112k +£340 per pupil£0 £0 per pupil
2023-24352.0£2.0m £5,764 per pupil£1.8m £5,239 per pupil+£185k +£526 per pupil£0 £0 per pupil
2022-23355.0£2.0m £5,606 per pupil£1.9m £5,330 per pupil+£98k +£276 per pupil£0 £0 per pupil
2021-22374.0£2.0m £5,227 per pupil£1.8m £4,767 per pupil+£172k +£460 per pupil£136k £364 per pupil
2020-21383.0£1.8m £4,674 per pupil£1.7m £4,454 per pupil+£84k +£219 per pupil£35k £91 per pupil
2019-20389.0£1.6m £4,129 per pupil£1.6m £4,226 per pupil-£38k -£98 per pupil£12k £31 per pupil
2018-19386.0£1.6m £4,049 per pupil£1.5m £3,855 per pupil+£75k +£194 per pupil£54k £140 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£2.0m £6,109 per pupil+51% +19% real£6k
Government funding£1.9m £5,760 per pupil+53% +20% real£6k
Special needs (SEN) funding£28k £85 per pupil+42% +13% real£250
Pupil premiumNot reported in academy accounts
Money the school raised itself£92k £280 per pupil+19% -7% real£459
Donations (day-to-day)£11k £33 per pupil-65% -72% real£28
Donations for buildings and equipmentNot reported in academy accounts
Facilities and services£68k £207 per pupil+568% +428% real£208
Catering income£0 £0 per pupil£94
Other DfE grants£1k £3 per pupil-70% -77% real£240

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£1.9m £5,769 per pupil+50% +18% real£6k
Teachers£1.0m £3,170 per pupil+60% +26% real£3k
Supply staff-£9k -£27 per pupil-135% -128% real£92
Support staff£326k £991 per pupil+40% +10% real£1k
Office and admin staff£97k £295 per pupil+73% +36% real£256
Premises staff£24k £73 per pupil-43% -55% real£132
Catering staff£0 £0 per pupil-100% -100% real£0
Other staff costs£29k £88 per pupil+54% +22% real£168
All staff costs£1.5m £4,581 per pupil+53% +20% real£5k
Premises£151k £459 per pupil+111% +66% real£312
Energy£26k £79 per pupil+155% +102% real£90
Rates, water and other building costs£121k £368 per pupil+33% +4% real£554
Catering£75k £228 per pupil+18% -8% real£326
Learning resources£80k £243 per pupil+7% -16% real£322
Supplies and services£119k £362 per pupil+1% -20% real£536
Bought-in services£19k £58 per pupil+107% +59% real£146

Staff costs were 79% 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 £1.9m £5,880 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. 2018-19 386.0
  2. 2019-20 389.0
  3. 2020-21 383.0
  4. 2021-22 374.0
  5. 2022-23 355.0
  6. 2023-24 352.0
  7. 2024-25 329.0

Pupil numbers fell from 386.0 to 329.0 (15% 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 FUTURA LEARNING PARTNERSHIP spent centrally per pupil, on top of this school's own accounts:

  1. 2018-19 £555
  2. 2019-20 £574
  3. 2020-21 £616
  4. 2021-22 £687
  5. 2022-23 £468
  6. 2023-24 £768
  7. 2024-25 £869

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

Parents' association money per pupilParents' association income and spending per pupil. 2020-21: raised £17; 2021-22: raised £44; 2022-23: raised £66; 2023-24: raised £57; 2024-25: raised £63£0£25£50£75£1002020-212021-222022-232023-242024-25RaisedSpent
Each school year's returns, newest first
School yearRaisedSpent
2024-25
year to August 2025		£21k £63 per pupil£14k £43 per pupil
2023-24
year to August 2024		£20k £57 per pupil£35k £100 per pupil
2022-23
year to August 2023		£23k £66 per pupil£16k £46 per pupil
2021-22
year to August 2022		£17k £44 per pupil£18k £48 per pupil
2020-21
year to August 2021		£6k £17 per pupil£5k £14 per pupil

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

academy · Primary · Mixed · FUTURA LEARNING PARTNERSHIP (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. How many pupils does St Nicholas Chantry 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)
  2. How much of St Nicholas Chantry Church of England Primary School's funding does FUTURA LEARNING 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)
  3. How much does the PTA (or friends' association) raise each year, and what does it pay for?
  4. Is the school planning to merge classes, share staff or work more closely with another school?
  5. Does the school's reserve figure include its share of the trust's central reserves?
  6. How does St Nicholas Chantry 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. Has the council talked about reducing places, merging or closing schools in this area? Why ask: The IFS notes savings from falling numbers only come if staff or the number of schools are reduced. (IFS, p. 64)
  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 St Nicholas Chantry Church of England Primary School on Schools in Reach · All North Somerset school finances · Schools in North Somerset · FUTURA LEARNING PARTNERSHIP