Verwood Church of England First School: school finances
Latest full year 2024-25, as an academy (accounts return, September to August). Dorset · Primary · Academy converter
Healthy
Holds £60k £205 per pupil in reserve, 3% 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 Large reserves same as the year before
- 2022-23 Tight reserve under 3% of a year's income
- 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 £1.6m £5,670 per pupil and spending £1.6m £5,478 per pupil. Government funding was £56k £192 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 | 291.0 | £1.8m £6,127 per pupil | £1.6m £5,478 per pupil | +£189k +£649 per pupil | £0 £0 per pupil |
| 2023-24 | 316.0 | £1.5m £4,810 per pupil | £1.5m £4,826 per pupil | -£5k -£16 per pupil | £0 £0 per pupil |
| 2022-23 | 310.0 | £1.5m £4,794 per pupil | £1.5m £4,965 per pupil | -£53k -£171 per pupil | £0 £0 per pupil |
| 2021-22 | 308.0 | £1.5m £4,773 per pupil | £1.3m £4,094 per pupil | +£209k +£679 per pupil | £177k £575 per pupil |
| 2020-21 | 284.0 | £1.3m £4,676 per pupil | £1.2m £4,356 per pupil | +£91k +£320 per pupil | £145k £511 per pupil |
| 2019-20 | 311.0 | £1.2m £3,887 per pupil | £1.2m £3,891 per pupil | -£1k -£3 per pupil | £109k £350 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 | £1.8m £6,127 per pupil | +58% +28% real | £6k | |
| Government funding | £1.6m £5,670 per pupil | +63% +33% real | £6k | |
| Special needs (SEN) funding | £93k £320 per pupil | +567% +443% real | £219 | |
| Pupil premium | Not reported in academy accounts | |||
| Money the school raised itself | £118k £405 per pupil | +0% -19% real | £337 | |
| Donations (day-to-day) | £1k £3 per pupil | -70% -67% real | £20 | |
| Donations for buildings and equipment | Not reported in academy accounts | |||
| Facilities and services | £111k £381 per pupil | -1% -19% real | £128 | |
| Catering income | £6k £21 per pupil | +62% +31% real | £17 | |
| Other DfE grants | £2k £7 per pupil | +133% +75% real | £266 | |
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 | £1.6m £5,478 per pupil | +41% +15% real | £6k | |
| Teachers | £776k £2,667 per pupil | +55% +26% real | £3k | |
| Supply staff | £32k £110 per pupil | £76 | ||
| Support staff | £378k £1,299 per pupil | +11% -10% real | £1k | |
| Office and admin staff | £56k £192 per pupil | -8% -25% real | £296 | |
| Premises staff | £19k £65 per pupil | -48% -57% real | £157 | |
| Catering staff | £10k £34 per pupil | £0 | ||
| Other staff costs | £28k £96 per pupil | -50% -59% real | £249 | |
| All staff costs | £1.3m £4,364 per pupil | +33% +8% real | £5k | |
| Premises | £97k £333 per pupil | +75% +43% real | £293 | |
| Energy | £16k £55 per pupil | +90% +56% real | £101 | |
| Rates, water and other building costs | £119k £409 per pupil | +93% +57% real | £520 | |
| Catering | £80k £275 per pupil | +108% +70% real | £288 | |
| Learning resources | £76k £261 per pupil | +102% +65% real | £277 | |
| Supplies and services | £108k £371 per pupil | +92% +57% real | £489 | |
| Bought-in services | £7k £24 per pupil | +140% +108% real | £85 |
Staff costs were 80% 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 £5,583 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
- 2019-20 311.0
- 2020-21 284.0
- 2021-22 308.0
- 2022-23 310.0
- 2023-24 316.0
- 2024-25 291.0
Pupil numbers fell from 311.0 to 291.0 (6% 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 INITIO LEARNING TRUST spent centrally per pupil, on top of this school's own accounts:
- 2019-20 £221
- 2020-21 £369
- 2021-22 £868
- 2022-23 £326
- 2023-24 £528
- 2024-25 £541
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 year to December 2025, July 2026 | £31k | £26k |
| 2024-25 year to December 2024 | £11k £39 per pupil | £15k £53 per pupil |
| 2023-24 year to December 2023 | £17k £53 per pupil | £15k £49 per pupil |
- FRIENDS OF VERWOOD FIRST SCHOOL (charity 1200557) Latest return: £9k in the year to July 2026. It reports 50 volunteers. Annual return due 31 October 2026.
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
- 11% of pupils eligible for free school meals (median school: council 18%, England 22%)
- Neighbourhood deprivation decile 10 of 10 (1 = most deprived)
- Income deprivation affecting children: decile 9 of 10 (1 = most deprived)
- 34% of adults nearby hold a degree-level qualification
- 94% of nearby homes are owner-occupied
- 2% of nearby homes are social rented
Intake band 1 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 £808k £2,777 per pupil
- Support staff £378k £1,299 per pupil
- Buildings and grounds £97k £333 per pupil
- Energy £16k £55 per pupil
- Learning resources £76k £261 per pupil
- Everything else £219k £753 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 Verwood Church of England First 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 Verwood Church of England First School's funding does INITIO LEARNING 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 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 Verwood Church of England First 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.
- Ilchester Community School
- St Margaret's Infant School
- Trinity Church of England First School
- Lee-On-the-Solent Infant and Nursery School
- Downs Infant School
Admissions and catchments for Verwood Church of England First School on Schools in Reach · All Dorset school finances · Schools in North Dorset · INITIO LEARNING 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)