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St John's Church of England Primary School, Radcliffe: school finances

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

Large reserves

Holds £217k £1,060 per pupil in reserve, 12% 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 Large reserves same as the year before
  5. 2022-23 Healthy reserve between 3% and 8% of a year's income
  6. 2023-24 Healthy same as the year before
  7. 2024-25 Large reserves reserve 8% or more of a year's income
Present and share

School presentation · PTFA presentation

School Wrapped: St John's Church of England Primary School, Radcliffe's year in money · PTFA Wrapped

Government funding vs spending per pupil

In 2024-25, government funding was £1.7m £8,483 per pupil and spending £1.6m £7,693 per pupil. Government funding was £162k £790 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 £6k, spending £5k; 2020-21: funding £7k, spending £6k; 2021-22: funding £6k, spending £6k; 2022-23: funding £7k, spending £7k; 2023-24: funding £8k, spending £7k; 2024-25: funding £8k, spending £8k£5,000£6,000£7,000£8,0002018-192020-212022-232024-25Gov. 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: £531; 2019-20: £913; 2020-21: £1k; 2021-22: £738; 2022-23: £521; 2023-24: £565; 2024-25: £1k£250£500£750£1,000£1,2502018-192020-212022-232024-25ReserveSimilarReserve

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

Each year's figures, newest first
YearPupilsIncomeSpendingIn-year balanceReserve at year end
2024-25205.0£1.8m £8,727 per pupil£1.6m £7,693 per pupil+£212k +£1,034 per pupil£209k £1,020 per pupil
2023-24207.0£1.6m £7,681 per pupil£1.5m £7,184 per pupil+£103k +£498 per pupil£117k £565 per pupil
2022-23213.0£1.5m £6,850 per pupil£1.4m £6,671 per pupil+£38k +£178 per pupil£111k £521 per pupil
2021-22210.0£1.4m £6,505 per pupil£1.3m £6,290 per pupil+£45k +£214 per pupil£155k £738 per pupil
2020-21202.0£1.3m £6,594 per pupil£1.2m £6,119 per pupil+£96k +£475 per pupil£211k £1,045 per pupil
2019-20208.0£1.2m £5,769 per pupil£1.0m £5,029 per pupil+£154k +£740 per pupil£190k £913 per pupil
2018-19199.5£1.1m £5,589 per pupil£1.0m £5,238 per pupil+£70k +£351 per pupil£106k £531 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£1.8m £8,727 per pupil+56% +23% real£8k
Government funding£1.7m £8,483 per pupil+58% +24% real£8k
Special needs (SEN) funding£87k £424 per pupil+748% +566% real£331
Pupil premiumNot reported in academy accounts
Money the school raised itself£32k £156 per pupil-24% -40% real£209
Donations (day-to-day)£5k £24 per pupil-40% -52% real£10
Donations for buildings and equipmentNot reported in academy accounts
Facilities and services£12k £59 per pupil-21% -38% real£45
Catering income£10k £49 per pupil-2% -23% real£47
Other DfE grants£194k £946 per pupil+270% +192% real£217

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£1.6m £7,693 per pupil+47% +15% real£8k
Teachers£744k £3,629 per pupil+56% +23% real£4k
Supply staff£24k £117 per pupil+234% +164% real£128
Support staff£284k £1,385 per pupil+117% +71% real£2k
Office and admin staff£51k £249 per pupil+24% -2% real£345
Premises staff£0 £0 per pupil£205
Catering staff£0 £0 per pupil£0
Other staff costs£35k £171 per pupil-30% -45% real£166
All staff costs£1.2m £5,615 per pupil+63% +28% real£6k
Premises£85k £415 per pupil-33% -48% real£434
Energy£25k £122 per pupil+63% +28% real£141
Rates, water and other building costs£150k £732 per pupil+46% +15% real£669
Catering£99k £483 per pupil+53% +20% real£385
Learning resources£38k £185 per pupil-40% -52% real£372
Supplies and services£191k £932 per pupil+66% +30% real£764
Bought-in services£27k £132 per pupil-6% -26% real£193

Staff costs were 73% 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 £1.6m £7,841 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. 2018-19 199.5
  2. 2019-20 208.0
  3. 2020-21 202.0
  4. 2021-22 210.0
  5. 2022-23 213.0
  6. 2023-24 207.0
  7. 2024-25 205.0

Trust central spending

What THE SYCAMORE CHURCH OF ENGLAND TRUST LIMITED spent centrally per pupil, on top of this school's own accounts:

  1. 2018-19 £296
  2. 2019-20 £322
  3. 2020-21 £336
  4. 2021-22 £517
  5. 2022-23 £578
  6. 2023-24 £595
  7. 2024-25 £417

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 St John's Church of England Primary School, Radcliffe. 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 · THE SYCAMORE CHURCH OF ENGLAND TRUST LIMITED (multi-academy trust) · Church of England

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.

National context

Questions to ask the school

Useful for parents, governors and PTFA committees.

  1. What is St John's Church of England Primary School, Radcliffe's £217k £1,060 per pupil reserve being kept for, and is there a timetable to spend it?
  2. How much of St John's Church of England Primary School, Radcliffe's funding does THE SYCAMORE CHURCH OF ENGLAND TRUST LIMITED 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 St John's Church of England Primary School, Radcliffe'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 St John's Church of England Primary School, Radcliffe on Schools in Reach · All Bury school finances · Schools in Bury South · THE SYCAMORE CHURCH OF ENGLAND TRUST LIMITED