Dame Tipping Church of England Primary School: school finances
Latest full year 2024-25, as an academy (accounts return, September to August). Havering · Primary · Academy converter
Large reserves
Holds £218k £2,323 per pupil in reserve, 23% of a year's income.
Status by year
- 2018-19 In deficit reserve below zero
- 2019-20 In deficit same as the year before
- 2020-21 Tight reserve under 3% of a year's income
- 2021-22 Large reserves reserve 8% or more of a year's income
- 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 £909k £9,670 per pupil and spending £749k £7,968 per pupil. Government funding was £160k £1,702 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 | 94.0 | £931k £9,904 per pupil | £749k £7,968 per pupil | +£182k +£1,936 per pupil | £195k £2,074 per pupil |
| 2023-24 | 90.0 | £801k £8,900 per pupil | £709k £7,878 per pupil | +£92k +£1,022 per pupil | £111k £1,233 per pupil |
| 2022-23 | 88.0 | £782k £8,886 per pupil | £732k £8,318 per pupil | +£50k +£568 per pupil | £96k £1,091 per pupil |
| 2021-22 | 96.0 | £736k £7,667 per pupil | £610k £6,354 per pupil | +£126k +£1,312 per pupil | £78k £812 per pupil |
| 2020-21 | 95.0 | £699k £7,358 per pupil | £561k £5,905 per pupil | +£138k +£1,453 per pupil | £16k £168 per pupil |
| 2019-20 | 99.0 | £702k £7,091 per pupil | £583k £5,889 per pupil | +£119k +£1,202 per pupil | -£6k -£61 per pupil |
| 2018-19 | 101.0 | £609k £6,030 per pupil | £673k £6,663 per pupil | -£64k -£634 per pupil | -£40k -£396 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 | £931k £9,904 per pupil | +64% +29% real | £10k | |
| Government funding | £909k £9,670 per pupil | +59% +25% real | £10k | |
| Special needs (SEN) funding | £0 £0 per pupil | £565 | ||
| Pupil premium | Not reported in academy accounts | |||
| Money the school raised itself | £0 £0 per pupil | -100% -100% real | £487 | |
| Donations (day-to-day) | £0 £0 per pupil recorded | £23 | ||
| Donations for buildings and equipment | Not reported in academy accounts | |||
| Facilities and services | £0 £0 per pupil | £259 | ||
| Catering income | £0 £0 per pupil | £4 | ||
| Other DfE grants | £254k £2,702 per pupil | £293 | ||
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 | £749k £7,968 per pupil | +20% -6% real | £10k | |
| Teachers | £389k £4,138 per pupil | -25% -41% real | £4k | |
| Supply staff | £51k £543 per pupil | +96% +54% real | £315 | |
| Support staff | £178k £1,894 per pupil | £2k | ||
| Office and admin staff | £32k £340 per pupil | £495 | ||
| Premises staff | £0 £0 per pupil | £262 | ||
| Catering staff | £0 £0 per pupil | £0 | ||
| Other staff costs | £0 £0 per pupil | -100% -100% real | £230 | |
| All staff costs | £650k £6,915 per pupil | +18% -7% real | £7k | |
| Premises | £21k £223 per pupil | +278% +196% real | £663 | |
| Energy | £11k £117 per pupil | +98% +55% real | £152 | |
| Rates, water and other building costs | £38k £404 per pupil | +354% +255% real | £826 | |
| Catering | £21k £223 per pupil | £497 | ||
| Learning resources | £10k £106 per pupil | -73% -79% real | £412 | |
| Supplies and services | £40k £426 per pupil | -33% -47% real | £1k | |
| Bought-in services | £11k £117 per pupil | -51% -61% real | £367 |
Staff costs were 87% 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 £763k £8,122 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
- 2018-19 101.0
- 2019-20 99.0
- 2020-21 95.0
- 2021-22 96.0
- 2022-23 88.0
- 2023-24 90.0
- 2024-25 94.0
Pupil numbers fell from 101.0 to 94.0 (7% 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)
Income that passed straight through
In 2024-25, this school's income rose by +£130k +£1,383 per pupil on the year before, and its staff costs by +£116k +£1,234 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 LIFE EDUCATION TRUST spent centrally per pupil, on top of this school's own accounts:
- 2018-19 £211
- 2019-20 £305
- 2020-21 £206
- 2021-22 £207
- 2022-23 £674
- 2023-24 £780
- 2024-25 £704
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2005-06 | £2k | £2k |
| 2004-05 year to July 2005 | £3k | £5k |
- THE FRIENDS OF DAME TIPPING SCHOOL (charity 1015996) Had a registered PTA until 2009.
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
- 23% of pupils eligible for free school meals (median school: council 20%, England 22%)
- Neighbourhood deprivation decile 5 of 10 (1 = most deprived)
- Income deprivation affecting children: decile 7 of 10 (1 = most deprived)
- 24% of adults nearby hold a degree-level qualification
- 81% of nearby homes are owner-occupied
- 6% of nearby homes are social rented
Intake band 3 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 £440k £4,681 per pupil
- Support staff £178k £1,894 per pupil
- Buildings and grounds £21k £223 per pupil
- Energy £11k £117 per pupil
- Learning resources £10k £106 per pupil
- Everything else £89k £947 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 Dame Tipping Church of England Primary School's £218k £2,323 per pupil reserve being kept for, and is there a timetable to spend it?
- How many pupils does Dame Tipping 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 many pupils at Dame Tipping Church of England Primary School 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 Dame Tipping Church of England Primary School's funding does LIFE EDUCATION 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?
- Is the school planning to merge classes, share staff or work more closely with another school?
- Does the council's top-up money arrive on time and cover what the support actually costs?
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.
- Chelsfield Primary School
- St Martin of Porres Catholic Primary School
- St Mary's Priory Catholic Infant School
- St Paul's and All Hallows CofE Infant School
- St Joseph's Catholic Junior School
Admissions and catchments for Dame Tipping Church of England Primary School on Schools in Reach · All Havering school finances · Schools in Romford · LIFE EDUCATION 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)