St Mary's Church of England Primary Academy: school finances
Latest full year 2023-24, as a council-run school (CFR return, April to March). Norfolk · Primary · Academy converter
Large reserves
Holds £74k £943 per pupil in reserve, 11% of a year's income.
Status by year
- 2018-19 Large reserves reserve 8% or more of a year's income
- 2019-20 Large reserves same as the year before
- 2020-21 Large reserves same as the year before
- 2021-22 Large reserves same as the year before
- 2022-23 Large reserves same as the year before
- 2023-24 Large reserves same as the year before
Government funding vs spending per pupil
In 2023-24, government funding was £650k £8,223 per pupil and spending £717k £9,082 per pupil. Spending was £68k £859 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.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-24 | 79.0 | £676k £8,552 per pupil | £717k £9,082 per pupil | -£42k -£530 per pupil | £74k £943 per pupil |
| 2022-23 | 89.0 | £621k £6,974 per pupil | £611k £6,868 per pupil | +£9k +£106 per pupil | £116k £1,307 per pupil |
| 2021-22 | 89.0 | £583k £6,552 per pupil | £567k £6,371 per pupil | +£16k +£181 per pupil | £107k £1,201 per pupil |
| 2020-21 | 89.0 | £502k £5,635 per pupil | £497k £5,585 per pupil | +£4k +£50 per pupil | £91k £1,020 per pupil |
| 2019-20 | 89.0 | £467k £5,243 per pupil | £458k £5,142 per pupil | +£9k +£101 per pupil | £86k £970 per pupil |
| 2018-19 | 81.0 | £449k £5,547 per pupil | £423k £5,220 per pupil | +£26k +£327 per pupil | £77k £955 per pupil |
Where the money comes from
| Line | 2023-24 | Trend per pupil | Change per pupil since 2018-19 | Similar schools (median per pupil) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total income | £676k £8,552 per pupil | +54% +26% real | £9k | |
| Government funding | £650k £8,223 per pupil | +54% +26% real | £8k | |
| Special needs (SEN) funding | £46k £578 per pupil | +605% +480% real | £318 | |
| Pupil premium | £49k £626 per pupil | +166% +119% real | £424 | |
| Money the school raised itself | £28k £350 per pupil | +59% +31% real | £345 | |
| Donations (day-to-day) | £3k £33 per pupil | +230% +169% real | £24 | |
| Donations for buildings and equipment | £0 £0 per pupil | £0 | ||
| Facilities and services | £12k £150 per pupil | +124% +83% real | £109 | |
| Catering income | £6k £76 per pupil | +27% +3% real | £42 | |
| Other DfE grants | £29k £369 per pupil | -8% -25% real | £395 |
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 | 2023-24 | Trend per pupil | Change per pupil since 2018-19 | Similar schools (median per pupil) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total spending | £717k £9,082 per pupil | +74% +43% real | £8k | |
| Teachers | £292k £3,700 per pupil | +53% +25% real | £4k | |
| Supply staff | £55k £694 per pupil | +594% +464% real | £102 | |
| Support staff | £127k £1,602 per pupil | +109% +71% real | £1k | |
| Office and admin staff | £30k £383 per pupil | +127% +86% real | £456 | |
| Premises staff | £16k £201 per pupil | +83% +50% real | £227 | |
| Catering staff | £0 £0 per pupil | £0 | ||
| Other staff costs | £28k £360 per pupil | +155% +110% real | £274 | |
| All staff costs | £543k £6,878 per pupil | +86% +53% real | £6k | |
| Premises | £34k £425 per pupil | +83% +50% real | £454 | |
| Energy | £27k £336 per pupil | +250% +189% real | £210 | |
| Rates, water and other building costs | £70k £891 per pupil | +87% +53% real | £744 | |
| Catering | £35k £447 per pupil | +46% +20% real | £333 | |
| Learning resources | £29k £371 per pupil | +11% -8% real | £400 | |
| Supplies and services | £60k £761 per pupil | +7% -12% real | £922 | |
| Bought-in services | £27k £337 per pupil | -1% -19% real | £223 |
Staff costs were 76% of this school's spending in 2023-24. Across England, over 80% of schools' costs are staff costs. (IFS, p. 63)
In 2025-26 prices, this school spent £771k £9,755 per pupil in 2023-24. Across England, primary schools are expected to spend about £7,000 per pupil in 2025–26. (IFS, p. 7)
Pupils by year
- 2018-19 81.0
- 2019-20 89.0
- 2020-21 89.0
- 2021-22 89.0
- 2022-23 89.0
- 2023-24 79.0
Income that passed straight through
In 2023-24, this school's income rose by +£55k +£695 per pupil on the year before, and its staff costs by +£65k +£819 per pupil. Much of the extra money may have gone straight out again on higher pay, pension and National Insurance costs.
About £2.3 billion of the rise in school funding since 2019–20 was grants to cover higher employer pension and National Insurance costs, not extra spending power. (IFS, p. 50)
Money raised by parents
No registered parents' association found for St Mary's Church of England Primary Academy. 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
- 34% of pupils eligible for free school meals (median school: council 20%, England 22%)
- Neighbourhood deprivation decile 5 of 10 (1 = most deprived)
- Income deprivation affecting children: decile 5 of 10 (1 = most deprived)
- 26% of adults nearby hold a degree-level qualification
- 76% of nearby homes are owner-occupied
- 11% of nearby homes are social rented
Intake band 4 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 2023-24, here is roughly where it went, with the amount for each pupil.
- Teachers £347k £4,394 per pupil
- Support staff £127k £1,602 per pupil
- Buildings and grounds £34k £425 per pupil
- Energy £27k £336 per pupil
- Learning resources £29k £371 per pupil
- Everything else £154k £1,953 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 St Mary's Church of England Primary Academy's £74k £943 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 St Mary's Church of England Primary Academy'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.
- St Joseph's Catholic Primary School - a Catholic voluntary academy
- Hampton Lucy CofE Primary School
- St Giles Church of England Primary and Nursery School
- Cadmore End CofE School
- Micheldever CofE Primary School
Admissions and catchments for St Mary's Church of England Primary Academy on Schools in Reach · All Norfolk school finances · Schools in North Norfolk · THE DIOCESE OF NORWICH ST BENET'S MULTI-ACADEMY 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)