Swaffham Bulbeck Church of England Primary School: school finances
Latest full year 2024-25, as an academy (accounts return, September to August). Cambridgeshire · Primary · Academy converter
Healthy
Holds £47k £530 per pupil in reserve, 7% of a year's income.
Status by year
- 2019-20 Large reserves reserve 8% 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 Healthy reserve between 3% and 8% of a year's income
Government funding vs spending per pupil
In 2024-25, government funding was £638k £7,169 per pupil and spending £558k £6,270 per pupil. Government funding was £80k £899 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 | 89.0 | £656k £7,371 per pupil | £558k £6,270 per pupil | +£98k +£1,101 per pupil | £0 £0 per pupil |
| 2023-24 | 93.0 | £672k £7,226 per pupil | £595k £6,398 per pupil | +£77k +£828 per pupil | £0 £0 per pupil |
| 2022-23 | 98.0 | £647k £6,602 per pupil | £535k £5,459 per pupil | +£112k +£1,143 per pupil | £0 £0 per pupil |
| 2021-22 | 97.0 | £583k £6,010 per pupil | £468k £4,825 per pupil | +£115k +£1,186 per pupil | £0 £0 per pupil |
| 2020-21 | 104.0 | £620k £5,962 per pupil | £486k £4,673 per pupil | +£134k +£1,288 per pupil | £60k £577 per pupil |
| 2019-20 | 102.5 | £540k £5,268 per pupil | £502k £4,898 per pupil | +£38k +£371 per pupil | £48k £468 per pupil |
Where the money comes from
| Line | 2024-25 | Trend per pupil | Change per pupil since 2019-20 | Similar schools (median per pupil) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total income | £656k £7,371 per pupil | +40% +14% real | £9k | |
| Government funding | £638k £7,169 per pupil | +37% +12% real | £8k | |
| Special needs (SEN) funding | £26k £292 per pupil | -32% -45% real | £465 | |
| Pupil premium | Not reported in academy accounts | |||
| Money the school raised itself | £9k £101 per pupil | +248% +178% real | £531 | |
| Donations (day-to-day) | £0 £0 per pupil recorded | -100% -100% real | £44 | |
| Donations for buildings and equipment | Not reported in academy accounts | |||
| Facilities and services | £3k £34 per pupil | £134 | ||
| Catering income | £5k £56 per pupil | +180% +138% real | £99 | |
| Other DfE grants | £21k £236 per pupil | £350 | ||
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 2019-20 | Similar schools (median per pupil) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total spending | £558k £6,270 per pupil | +28% +4% real | £8k | |
| Teachers | £293k £3,292 per pupil | -13% -29% real | £4k | |
| Supply staff | £1k £11 per pupil | £134 | ||
| Support staff | £113k £1,270 per pupil | +467% +360% real | £2k | |
| Office and admin staff | £32k £360 per pupil | £462 | ||
| Premises staff | £8k £90 per pupil | £86 | ||
| Catering staff | £0 £0 per pupil | £0 | ||
| Other staff costs | £1k £11 per pupil | -92% -94% real | £221 | |
| All staff costs | £440k £4,944 per pupil | +18% -3% real | £6k | |
| Premises | £39k £438 per pupil | +149% +103% real | £402 | |
| Energy | £12k £135 per pupil | +129% +88% real | £137 | |
| Rates, water and other building costs | £57k £640 per pupil | +112% +73% real | £592 | |
| Catering | £38k £427 per pupil | +108% +70% real | £384 | |
| Learning resources | £9k £101 per pupil | -26% -40% real | £406 | |
| Supplies and services | £22k £247 per pupil | +1% -17% real | £840 | |
| Bought-in services | £3k £34 per pupil | £209 |
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 £569k £6,391 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
- 2019-20 102.5
- 2020-21 104.0
- 2021-22 97.0
- 2022-23 98.0
- 2023-24 93.0
- 2024-25 89.0
Pupil numbers fell from 102.5 to 89.0 (13% 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 GRACE SCHOOLS spent centrally per pupil, on top of this school's own accounts:
- 2019-20 £527
- 2020-21 £471
- 2021-22 £693
- 2022-23 £692
- 2023-24 £722
- 2024-25 £705
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 £74 per pupil | £3k £29 per pupil |
| 2023-24 year to August 2024 | £4k £47 per pupil | £10k £108 per pupil |
| 2022-23 year to August 2023 | £603 £6 per pupil | £3k £36 per pupil |
| 2021-22 year to August 2022 | £285 £3 per pupil | £4k £41 per pupil |
| 2020-21 year to August 2021 | £2k £24 per pupil | £3k £29 per pupil |
- SWAFFHAM BULBECK PARENT TEACHERS ASSOCIATION (charity 1179905) Latest return: £7k £74 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
- 16% of pupils eligible for free school meals (median school: council 18%, England 22%)
- Neighbourhood deprivation decile 7 of 10 (1 = most deprived)
- Income deprivation affecting children: decile 7 of 10 (1 = most deprived)
- 44% of adults nearby hold a degree-level qualification
- 68% of nearby homes are owner-occupied
- 17% of nearby homes are social rented
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.
- Teachers £294k £3,303 per pupil
- Support staff £113k £1,270 per pupil
- Buildings and grounds £39k £438 per pupil
- Energy £12k £135 per pupil
- Learning resources £9k £101 per pupil
- Everything else £91k £1,022 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.
- How many pupils does Swaffham Bulbeck 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 much of Swaffham Bulbeck Church of England Primary School's funding does GRACE SCHOOLS 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 the school planning to merge classes, share staff or work more closely with another school?
- Does the school's reserve figure include its share of the trust's central reserves?
- How does Swaffham Bulbeck 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)
- 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)
- 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.
- Bridestowe Primary School
- Shillington Lower School
- Yardley Gobion Church of England Primary School
- Crowcombe CofE VA Primary School
- Little Thetford CofE Primary School
Admissions and catchments for Swaffham Bulbeck Church of England Primary School on Schools in Reach · All Cambridgeshire school finances · Schools in Ely and East Cambridgeshire · GRACE SCHOOLS
- 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)