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St Paul's Church of England Primary School: school finances

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

In deficit

In deficit by £125k £781 per pupil, 7% of a year's income: it has spent more over the years than it received.

Why schools go into deficit. Most of a school's money goes on people: over 80% of schools' costs are staff costs. So when pay and other costs rise faster than funding, or a school loses pupils and the money that comes with each one, the budget is squeezed quickly and staffing is the only big thing left to cut. In 2024–25 and 2025–26, mainstream school funding per pupil grew by 2 percentage points less than school costs, partly because rising special needs costs took a large share of the extra money. A deficit usually comes from several of these pressures at once, not one bad decision. (IFS, pp. 62–63)

What helps. Schools in this position usually agree a recovery plan with SDBE MULTI-ACADEMY TRUST, often over two or three years, and governors check progress against it each term. The questions further down are a good way to start that conversation.

Status by year

  1. 2019-20 Tight reserve under 3% of a year's income
  2. 2020-21 Tight same as the year before
  3. 2021-22 Tight same as the year before
  4. 2022-23 In deficit reserve below zero
  5. 2023-24 Tight reserve under 3% of a year's income
  6. 2024-25 In deficit reserve below zero
Present and share

School presentation · PTFA presentation

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

Government funding vs spending per pupil

In 2024-25, government funding was £1.7m £10,656 per pupil and spending £1.7m £10,869 per pupil. Spending was £34k £212 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, 2019-20 to 2024-25Government funding and spending per pupil each year, 2019-20 to 2024-25. 2019-20: funding £7k, spending £7k; 2020-21: funding £9k, spending £8k; 2021-22: funding £9k, spending £9k; 2022-23: funding £9k, spending £9k; 2023-24: funding £9k, spending £9k; 2024-25: funding £11k, spending £11k£6,000£8,000£10,0002020-212022-232024-25Gov. 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, 2019-20 to 2024-25Reserve per pupil at the end of each year. 2019-20: £158; 2020-21: £170; 2021-22: £5; 2022-23: -£251; 2023-24: £0; 2024-25: -£788-£1,000-£500£02020-212022-232024-25ReserveSimilarReserve

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

Each year's figures, newest first
YearPupilsIncomeSpendingIn-year balanceReserve at year end
2024-25160.0£1.7m £10,906 per pupil£1.7m £10,869 per pupil+£6k +£38 per pupil-£126k -£788 per pupil
2023-24180.0£1.6m £8,933 per pupil£1.6m £9,022 per pupil-£16k -£89 per pupil£0 £0 per pupil
2022-23191.0£1.7m £8,984 per pupil£1.7m £8,880 per pupil+£20k +£105 per pupil-£48k -£251 per pupil
2021-22188.0£1.8m £9,399 per pupil£1.7m £9,234 per pupil+£31k +£165 per pupil£1k £5 per pupil
2020-21206.0£1.8m £8,699 per pupil£1.7m £8,374 per pupil+£67k +£325 per pupil£35k £170 per pupil
2019-20234.0£1.7m £7,355 per pupil£1.6m £6,932 per pupil+£99k +£423 per pupil£37k £158 per pupil

Where the money comes from

Income in 2024-25, with the trend per pupil since 2019-20
Line2024-25Trend per pupilChange per pupil since 2019-20Similar schools (median per pupil)
Total income£1.7m £10,906 per pupil+48% +21% real£11k
Government funding£1.7m £10,656 per pupil+46% +19% real£10k
Special needs (SEN) funding£45k £281 per pupil+173% +124% real£690
Pupil premiumNot reported in academy accounts
Money the school raised itself£40k £250 per pupil+390% +298% real£383
Donations (day-to-day)£0 £0 per pupil recorded-100% -100% real£6
Donations for buildings and equipmentNot reported in academy accounts
Facilities and services£30k £188 per pupil+269% +198% real£258
Catering income£3k £19 per pupil+111% +73% real£6
Other DfE grants£110k £688 per pupil+92% +56% real£254

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 2019-20
Line2024-25Trend per pupilChange per pupil since 2019-20Similar schools (median per pupil)
Total spending£1.7m £10,869 per pupil+57% +28% real£11k
Teachers£631k £3,944 per pupil+19% -3% real£4k
Supply staff£406k £2,538 per pupil+2886% +2317% real£404
Support staff£111k £694 per pupil-60% -68% real£2k
Office and admin staff£83k £519 per pupil+66% +36% real£661
Premises staff£114k £712 per pupil+85% +51% real£284
Catering staff£0 £0 per pupil-100% -100% real£0
Other staff costs£27k £169 per pupil-52% -61% real£201
All staff costs£1.3m £7,875 per pupil+35% +10% real£8k
Premises£122k £762 per pupil+75% +43% real£694
Energy£44k £275 per pupil+206% +150% real£205
Rates, water and other building costs£149k £931 per pupil+106% +68% real£1k
Catering£72k £450 per pupil+62% +32% real£581
Learning resources£65k £406 per pupil+351% +270% real£410
Supplies and services£206k £1,288 per pupil+458% +354% real£1k
Bought-in services£21k £131 per pupil-7% -24% real£484

Staff costs were 72% 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 £1.8m £11,078 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. 2019-20 234.0
  2. 2020-21 206.0
  3. 2021-22 188.0
  4. 2022-23 191.0
  5. 2023-24 180.0
  6. 2024-25 160.0

Pupil numbers fell from 234.0 to 160.0 (32% 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 SDBE MULTI-ACADEMY TRUST spent centrally per pupil, on top of this school's own accounts:

  1. 2019-20 £261
  2. 2020-21 £315
  3. 2021-22 £296
  4. 2022-23 £679
  5. 2023-24 £399
  6. 2024-25 -£4

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 Paul's Church of England Primary School. 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 · SDBE MULTI-ACADEMY TRUST (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 the plan to get St Paul's Church of England Primary School back into balance, and how many years will it take? Has SDBE MULTI-ACADEMY TRUST agreed it?
  2. How many pupils does St Paul's 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)
  3. How much of St Paul's Church of England Primary School's funding does SDBE MULTI-ACADEMY 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)
  4. How much does the PTA (or friends' association) raise each year, and what does it pay for?
  5. What is driving the deficit: falling pupil numbers, staff costs, special needs support, or something else? Why ask: Over 80% of schools' costs are staff costs. (IFS, p. 63)
  6. Is the school planning to merge classes, share staff or work more closely with another school?
  7. Does the school's reserve figure include its share of the trust's central reserves?
  8. How does St Paul's 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)

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 Paul's Church of England Primary School on Schools in Reach · All Southwark school finances · Schools in Vauxhall and Camberwell Green · SDBE MULTI-ACADEMY TRUST