St Mary's Church of England Primary School: school finances
Latest full year 2024-25, as an academy (accounts return, September to August). Gloucestershire · Primary · Academy converter
Large reserves
Holds £206k £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 £2.1m £6,536 per pupil and spending £2.1m £6,384 per pupil. Government funding was £49k £152 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. 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 | 323.0 | £2.2m £6,920 per pupil | £2.1m £6,384 per pupil | +£173k +£536 per pupil | £0 £0 per pupil |
| 2023-24 | 337.0 | £2.2m £6,632 per pupil | £2.1m £6,119 per pupil | +£173k +£513 per pupil | £17k £50 per pupil |
| 2022-23 | 363.0 | £2.0m £5,443 per pupil | £1.9m £5,326 per pupil | +£43k +£117 per pupil | £26k £72 per pupil |
| 2021-22 | 358.0 | £1.9m £5,250 per pupil | £1.8m £5,137 per pupil | +£40k +£113 per pupil | -£16k -£46 per pupil |
| 2020-21 | 360.0 | £1.7m £4,730 per pupil | £1.7m £4,776 per pupil | -£16k -£46 per pupil | -£57k -£158 per pupil |
| 2019-20 | 352.0 | £1.6m £4,601 per pupil | £1.6m £4,676 per pupil | -£27k -£76 per pupil | -£40k -£115 per pupil |
| 2018-19 | 336.0 | £1.5m £4,424 per pupil | £1.5m £4,537 per pupil | -£38k -£114 per pupil | -£14k -£41 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 | £2.2m £6,920 per pupil | +56% +22% real | £7k | |
| Government funding | £2.1m £6,536 per pupil | +59% +23% real | £6k | |
| Special needs (SEN) funding | £104k £322 per pupil | +419% +305% real | £275 | |
| Pupil premium | Not reported in academy accounts | |||
| Money the school raised itself | £124k £384 per pupil | +25% -3% real | £292 | |
| Donations (day-to-day) | £55k £170 per pupil | +240% +168% real | £11 | |
| Donations for buildings and equipment | Not reported in academy accounts | |||
| Facilities and services | £58k £180 per pupil | +28% -1% real | £95 | |
| Catering income | £0 £0 per pupil | -100% -100% real | £71 | |
| Other DfE grants | £6k £19 per pupil | -91% -93% real | £173 | |
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 | £2.1m £6,384 per pupil | +41% +9% real | £7k | |
| Teachers | £977k £3,025 per pupil | +46% +13% real | £3k | |
| Supply staff | £37k £115 per pupil | -39% -52% real | £129 | |
| Support staff | £488k £1,511 per pupil | +79% +39% real | £1k | |
| Office and admin staff | £96k £297 per pupil | +39% +9% real | £266 | |
| Premises staff | £53k £164 per pupil | +45% +14% real | £151 | |
| Catering staff | £0 £0 per pupil | £0 | ||
| Other staff costs | £78k £241 per pupil | +25% -3% real | £186 | |
| All staff costs | £1.7m £5,207 per pupil | +47% +14% real | £5k | |
| Premises | £99k £307 per pupil | +73% +34% real | £331 | |
| Energy | £27k £84 per pupil | +83% +39% real | £100 | |
| Rates, water and other building costs | £128k £396 per pupil | +11% -13% real | £548 | |
| Catering | £77k £238 per pupil | +4% -19% real | £293 | |
| Learning resources | £85k £263 per pupil | -8% -29% real | £277 | |
| Supplies and services | £153k £474 per pupil | +5% -18% real | £569 | |
| Bought-in services | £8k £25 per pupil | -81% -86% real | £192 |
Staff costs were 82% 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 £2.1m £6,507 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
- 2018-19 336.0
- 2019-20 352.0
- 2020-21 360.0
- 2021-22 358.0
- 2022-23 363.0
- 2023-24 337.0
- 2024-25 323.0
Trust central spending
What THE DIOCESE OF GLOUCESTER ACADEMIES TRUST spent centrally per pupil, on top of this school's own accounts:
- 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
| School year | Raised | Spent |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 year to August 2025 | £4k £12 per pupil | £5k £15 per pupil |
| 2023-24 year to August 2024 | £10k £30 per pupil | £12k £36 per pupil |
| 2022-23 year to August 2022, August 2023 | £29k £80 per pupil | £19k £54 per pupil |
| 2021-22 year to August 2021 | £11k £30 per pupil | £8k £23 per pupil |
- ST MARY'S PRIMARY SCHOOL PARENTS, TEACHERS AND FRIENDS ASSOCIATION (charity 1192349) Latest return: £4k £12 per pupil in the year to August 2025. It reports 4 volunteers. Annual return due 30 June 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
- 28% of pupils eligible for free school meals (median school: council 17%, England 22%)
- Neighbourhood deprivation decile 8 of 10 (1 = most deprived)
- Income deprivation affecting children: decile 7 of 10 (1 = most deprived)
- 34% of adults nearby hold a degree-level qualification
- 71% of nearby homes are owner-occupied
- 20% 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 2024-25, here is roughly where it went, with the amount for each pupil.
- Teachers £1.0m £3,139 per pupil
- Support staff £488k £1,511 per pupil
- Buildings and grounds £99k £307 per pupil
- Energy £27k £84 per pupil
- Learning resources £85k £263 per pupil
- Everything else £349k £1,080 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 St Mary's Church of England Primary School's £206k £637 per pupil reserve being kept for, and is there a timetable to spend it?
- How much of St Mary's 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 school's reserve figure include its share of the trust's central reserves?
- How does St Mary'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)
- Could some be spent on current pupils without putting future years at risk?
- 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.
- Woodwater Academy
- St Mary Queen of Martyrs VC Academy
- St Columb Major Academy
- Stoke Park Junior School
- Windy Nook Primary School
Admissions and catchments for St Mary's 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
- 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)