Watermoor Church of England Primary School: school finances
Latest full year 2024-25, as an academy (accounts return, September to August). Gloucestershire · Primary · Academy sponsor led
Large reserves
Holds £122k £637 per pupil in reserve, 9% 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 In deficit same as the year before
- 2021-22 In deficit 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 Large reserves reserve 8% or more of a year's income
Government funding vs spending per pupil
In 2024-25, government funding was £1.2m £6,393 per pupil and spending £1.3m £6,832 per pupil. Spending was £84k £440 per pupil more than government funding; the difference came from other income, such as lettings, catering or donations, or from the school's reserve.
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. CFR years run April to March and AAR years September to August.
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 | 191.0 | £1.3m £6,775 per pupil | £1.3m £6,832 per pupil | -£11k -£58 per pupil | £0 £0 per pupil |
| 2023-24 | 194.0 | £1.3m £6,948 per pupil | £1.3m £6,629 per pupil | +£62k +£320 per pupil | £19k £98 per pupil |
| 2022-23 | 213.0 | £1.3m £5,892 per pupil | £1.2m £5,596 per pupil | +£63k +£296 per pupil | £33k £155 per pupil |
| 2021-22 | 194.0 | £1.2m £6,073 per pupil | £1.2m £5,979 per pupil | +£18k +£95 per pupil | -£165k -£853 per pupil |
| 2020-21 | 181.0 | £1.3m £7,071 per pupil | £1.3m £7,154 per pupil | -£15k -£83 per pupil | -£184k -£1,016 per pupil |
| 2019-20 | 192.0 | £1.2m £6,001 per pupil | £1.2m £6,415 per pupil | -£79k -£413 per pupil | -£169k -£879 per pupil |
| 2018-19 | 183.0 | £1.1m £6,215 per pupil | £1.1m £5,972 per pupil | +£44k +£243 per pupil | -£89k -£489 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 | £1.3m £6,775 per pupil | +9% -15% real | £7k | |
| Government funding | £1.2m £6,393 per pupil | +10% -15% real | £6k | |
| Special needs (SEN) funding | £102k £534 per pupil | -15% -34% real | £321 | |
| Pupil premium | Not reported in academy accounts | |||
| Money the school raised itself | £73k £382 per pupil | -4% -25% real | £324 | |
| Donations (day-to-day) | £22k £115 per pupil | +342% +234% real | £16 | |
| Donations for buildings and equipment | Not reported in academy accounts | |||
| Facilities and services | £43k £225 per pupil | +46% +13% real | £162 | |
| Catering income | £0 £0 per pupil | -100% -100% real | £69 | |
| Other DfE grants | £68k £356 per pupil | +36% +6% real | £253 | |
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 | £1.3m £6,832 per pupil | +14% -11% real | £7k | |
| Teachers | £625k £3,272 per pupil | +39% +8% real | £3k | |
| Supply staff | £3k £16 per pupil | -87% -90% real | £80 | |
| Support staff | £288k £1,508 per pupil | +13% -12% real | £1k | |
| Office and admin staff | £67k £351 per pupil | +19% -8% real | £347 | |
| Premises staff | £0 £0 per pupil | -100% -100% real | £141 | |
| Catering staff | £0 £0 per pupil | £0 | ||
| Other staff costs | £53k £277 per pupil | +13% -12% real | £255 | |
| All staff costs | £1.0m £5,445 per pupil | +25% -3% real | £5k | |
| Premises | £58k £304 per pupil | +78% +38% real | £332 | |
| Energy | £32k £168 per pupil | +83% +43% real | £112 | |
| Rates, water and other building costs | £98k £513 per pupil | +2% -21% real | £539 | |
| Catering | £50k £262 per pupil | +1% -22% real | £340 | |
| Learning resources | £43k £225 per pupil | -5% -26% real | £317 | |
| Supplies and services | £108k £565 per pupil | +28% -1% real | £548 | |
| Bought-in services | £11k £58 per pupil | -68% -75% real | £152 |
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 £1.3m £6,964 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
- 2018-19 183.0
- 2019-20 192.0
- 2020-21 181.0
- 2021-22 194.0
- 2022-23 213.0
- 2023-24 194.0
- 2024-25 191.0
Trust central spending
What THE DIOCESE OF GLOUCESTER ACADEMIES TRUST spent centrally per pupil, on top of this school's own accounts:
- 2022-23 £285
- 2023-24 £351
- 2024-25 £438
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 Watermoor 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
- 16% of pupils eligible for free school meals (median school: council 17%, England 22%)
- Neighbourhood deprivation decile 10 of 10 (1 = most deprived)
- Income deprivation affecting children: decile 10 of 10 (1 = most deprived)
- 35% of adults nearby hold a degree-level qualification
- 83% of nearby homes are owner-occupied
- 8% 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 £628k £3,288 per pupil
- Support staff £288k £1,508 per pupil
- Buildings and grounds £58k £304 per pupil
- Energy £32k £168 per pupil
- Learning resources £43k £225 per pupil
- Everything else £256k £1,340 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 Watermoor Church of England Primary School's £122k £637 per pupil reserve being kept for, and is there a timetable to spend it?
- How many pupils at Watermoor 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 Watermoor Church of England Primary School's funding does THE DIOCESE OF GLOUCESTER ACADEMIES 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?
- Does the council's top-up money arrive on time and cover what the support actually costs?
- Does the school's reserve figure include its share of the trust's central reserves?
- How does Watermoor 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.
- English Martyrs Catholic Primary School
- Peatmoor Community Primary School
- Saint Mary's RC Primary Academy Boston
- Caldecote Primary School
- Clarendon Infants' School
Admissions and catchments for Watermoor Church of England Primary School on Schools in Reach · All Gloucestershire school finances · Schools in South Cotswolds · THE DIOCESE OF GLOUCESTER 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
- 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)