Docking Church of England Primary Academy and Nursery: school finances
Latest full year 2020-21, as a council-run school (CFR return, April to March). Norfolk · Primary · Academy converter
Large reserves
Holds £87k £611 per pupil in reserve, 9% of a year's income.
Status by year
- 2018-19 Healthy reserve between 3% and 8% of a year's income
- 2019-20 Large reserves reserve 8% or more of a year's income
- 2020-21 Large reserves same as the year before
Government funding vs spending per pupil
In 2020-21, government funding was £1.0m £7,196 per pupil and spending £972k £6,819 per pupil. Government funding was £54k £377 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020-21 | 142.5 | £966k £6,779 per pupil | £972k £6,819 per pupil | -£6k -£40 per pupil | £87k £611 per pupil |
| 2019-20 | 131.5 | £1.1m £8,558 per pupil | £1.1m £8,224 per pupil | +£44k +£334 per pupil | £93k £706 per pupil |
| 2018-19 | 132.5 | £1.2m £8,721 per pupil | £1.2m £9,054 per pupil | -£44k -£332 per pupil | £49k £369 per pupil |
Where the money comes from
| Line | 2020-21 | Trend per pupil | Change per pupil since 2018-19 | Similar schools (median per pupil) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total income | £966k £6,779 per pupil | -22% -28% real | £6k | |
| Government funding | £1.0m £7,196 per pupil | -10% -17% real | £5k | |
| Special needs (SEN) funding | £18k £128 per pupil | -50% -54% real | £144 | |
| Pupil premium | £30k £209 per pupil | -50% -54% real | £278 | |
| Money the school raised itself | £24k £165 per pupil | -77% -79% real | £128 | |
| Donations (day-to-day) | £11k £74 per pupil | -71% -73% real | £3 | |
| Donations for buildings and equipment | £0 £0 per pupil | £0 | ||
| Facilities and services | £8k £55 per pupil | -65% -68% real | £24 | |
| Catering income | £4k £28 per pupil | -79% -81% real | £32 | |
| Other DfE grants | £70k £489 per pupil | -15% -22% real | £373 |
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)
Where it goes
| Line | 2020-21 | Trend per pupil | Change per pupil since 2018-19 | Similar schools (median per pupil) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total spending | £972k £6,819 per pupil | -25% -30% real | £6k | |
| Teachers | £426k £2,987 per pupil | -23% -29% real | £3k | |
| Supply staff | £55k £388 per pupil | +50% +39% real | £35 | |
| Support staff | £148k £1,036 per pupil | -27% -32% real | £1k | |
| Office and admin staff | £46k £323 per pupil | -22% -27% real | £261 | |
| Premises staff | £19k £136 per pupil | -28% -33% real | £162 | |
| Catering staff | £220 £2 per pupil | -87% -89% real | £0 | |
| Other staff costs | £22k £151 per pupil | -41% -46% real | £175 | |
| All staff costs | £710k £4,980 per pupil | -22% -27% real | £4k | |
| Premises | £89k £627 per pupil | +8% +1% real | £352 | |
| Energy | £14k £96 per pupil | -44% -48% real | £75 | |
| Rates, water and other building costs | £69k £484 per pupil | -34% -39% real | £446 | |
| Catering | £41k £285 per pupil | -35% -40% real | £231 | |
| Learning resources | £63k £439 per pupil | -36% -41% real | £211 | |
| Supplies and services | £97k £682 per pupil | -43% -47% real | £452 | |
| Bought-in services | £28k £195 per pupil | -55% -58% real | £160 |
Staff costs were 73% of this school's spending in 2020-21. Across England, over 80% of schools' costs are staff costs. (IFS, p. 63)
In 2025-26 prices, this school spent £1.2m £8,285 per pupil in 2020-21. Across England, primary schools are expected to spend about £7,000 per pupil in 2025–26. (IFS, p. 7)
Pupils by year
- 2018-19 132.5
- 2019-20 131.5
- 2020-21 142.5
Money raised by parents
| School year | Raised | Spent |
|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 year to September 2025 | £3k | £9k |
| 2024-25 year to September 2024 | £11k | £9k |
| 2023-24 year to September 2023 | £6k | £5k |
| 2022-23 year to September 2022 | £11k | £5k |
| 2021-22 year to September 2021 | £1k | £2k |
- PARENTS AND FRIENDS ASSOCIATION OF BRANCASTER VOLUNTARY AIDED PRIMARY SCHOOL (charity 1036259) Latest return: £3k in the year to September 2025. It reports 10 volunteers. Annual return due 30 July 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
- 21% of pupils eligible for free school meals (median school: council 20%, England 22%)
- Neighbourhood deprivation decile 4 of 10 (1 = most deprived)
- Income deprivation affecting children: decile 5 of 10 (1 = most deprived)
- 28% of adults nearby hold a degree-level qualification
- 65% of nearby homes are owner-occupied
- 16% 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 2020-21, here is roughly where it went, with the amount for each pupil.
- Teachers £481k £3,375 per pupil
- Support staff £148k £1,036 per pupil
- Buildings and grounds £89k £627 per pupil
- Energy £14k £96 per pupil
- Learning resources £63k £439 per pupil
- Everything else £178k £1,246 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)
- Pupil premium is £1,515 a year per eligible primary pupil and £1,075 per eligible secondary pupil, over 16% lower in real terms than in 2015–16. (IFS, p. 51)
- 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 Docking Church of England Primary Academy and Nursery's £87k £611 per pupil reserve being kept for, and is there a timetable to spend it?
- 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?
- How does Docking Church of England Primary Academy and Nursery'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)
- Could some be spent on current pupils without putting future years at risk?
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.
- Anston Brook Primary School
- St John's Church of England First School, Wimborne
- Whaley Bridge Primary School
- All Saints' CofE School
- Burton Green Primary School
Admissions and catchments for Docking Church of England Primary Academy and Nursery on Schools in Reach · All Norfolk school finances · Schools in North West Norfolk · THE DIOCESE OF NORWICH EDUCATION AND ACADEMIES 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)