St John's Church of England Primary School, Thornham: school finances
Latest full year 2024-25, as an academy (accounts return, September to August). Rochdale · Primary · Academy converter
Healthy
Holds £47k £389 per pupil in reserve, 5% of a year's income.
Status by year
- 2018-19 Healthy reserve between 3% and 8% of a year's income
- 2019-20 Heading for deficit spending more than it received, reserve running down
- 2020-21 Healthy reserve between 3% and 8% of a year's income
- 2021-22 Tight reserve under 3% of a year's income
- 2022-23 Heading for deficit spending more than it received, reserve running down
- 2023-24 In deficit reserve below zero
- 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 £863k £7,192 per pupil and spending £945k £7,875 per pupil. Spending was £82k £683 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 | 120.0 | £952k £7,933 per pupil | £945k £7,875 per pupil | +£7k +£58 per pupil | £43k £358 per pupil |
| 2023-24 | 105.0 | £833k £7,935 per pupil | £846k £8,060 per pupil | -£13k -£125 per pupil | -£11k -£109 per pupil |
| 2022-23 | 101.0 | £693k £6,864 per pupil | £700k £6,927 per pupil | -£6k -£63 per pupil | £2k £16 per pupil |
| 2021-22 | 98.0 | £628k £6,412 per pupil | £649k £6,621 per pupil | -£21k -£210 per pupil | £8k £81 per pupil |
| 2020-21 | 90.0 | £551k £6,117 per pupil | £540k £6,001 per pupil | +£10k +£116 per pupil | £29k £317 per pupil |
| 2019-20 | 83.0 | £556k £6,693 per pupil | £559k £6,736 per pupil | -£4k -£43 per pupil | £18k £218 per pupil |
| 2018-19 | 90.5 | £535k £5,910 per pupil | £560k £6,187 per pupil | -£25k -£277 per pupil | £22k £239 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 | £952k £7,933 per pupil | +34% +4% real | £7k | |
| Government funding | £863k £7,192 per pupil | +32% +2% real | £7k | |
| Special needs (SEN) funding | £90k £750 per pupil | £272 | ||
| Pupil premium | Not reported in academy accounts | |||
| Money the school raised itself | £73k £608 per pupil | +36% +6% real | £462 | |
| Donations (day-to-day) | £8k £67 per pupil | -61% -70% real | £36 | |
| Donations for buildings and equipment | Not reported in academy accounts | |||
| Facilities and services | £2k £17 per pupil | +1600% +1600% real | £208 | |
| Catering income | £13k £108 per pupil | +33% +4% real | £78 | |
| Other DfE grants | £76k £633 per pupil | +83% +42% real | £318 | |
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 | £945k £7,875 per pupil | +27% -1% real | £7k | |
| Teachers | £420k £3,500 per pupil | +38% +7% real | £3k | |
| Supply staff | £9k £75 per pupil | -48% -60% real | £100 | |
| Support staff | £0 £0 per pupil | -100% -100% real | £1k | |
| Office and admin staff | £271k £2,258 per pupil | +772% +577% real | £358 | |
| Premises staff | £0 £0 per pupil | £99 | ||
| Catering staff | £0 £0 per pupil | -100% -100% real | £0 | |
| Other staff costs | £49k £408 per pupil | +82% +41% real | £235 | |
| All staff costs | £749k £6,242 per pupil | +46% +14% real | £5k | |
| Premises | £27k £225 per pupil | -49% -60% real | £422 | |
| Energy | £16k £133 per pupil | +115% +66% real | £133 | |
| Rates, water and other building costs | £69k £575 per pupil | -7% -28% real | £633 | |
| Catering | £38k £317 per pupil | -20% -38% real | £349 | |
| Learning resources | £31k £258 per pupil | -18% -36% real | £304 | |
| Supplies and services | £100k £833 per pupil | +1% -21% real | £661 | |
| Bought-in services | £7k £58 per pupil | -83% -87% real | £170 |
Staff costs were 79% 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 £963k £8,027 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 90.5
- 2019-20 83.0
- 2020-21 90.0
- 2021-22 98.0
- 2022-23 101.0
- 2023-24 105.0
- 2024-25 120.0
Income that passed straight through
In 2024-25, this school's income rose by +£119k +£990 per pupil on the year before, and its staff costs by +£156k +£1,304 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)
Trust central spending
What CRANMER EDUCATION TRUST spent centrally per pupil, on top of this school's own accounts:
- 2024-25 £249
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 St John's Church of England Primary School, Thornham. 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
- 11% of pupils eligible for free school meals (median school: council 30%, England 22%)
- Neighbourhood deprivation decile 4 of 10 (1 = most deprived)
- Income deprivation affecting children: decile 3 of 10 (1 = most deprived)
- 26% of adults nearby hold a degree-level qualification
- 68% of nearby homes are owner-occupied
- 15% 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 £429k £3,575 per pupil
- Support staff £0 £0 per pupil
- Buildings and grounds £27k £225 per pupil
- Energy £16k £133 per pupil
- Learning resources £31k £258 per pupil
- Everything else £442k £3,683 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 at St John's Church of England Primary School, Thornham 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 St John's Church of England Primary School, Thornham's funding does CRANMER EDUCATION 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?
- 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 St John's Church of England Primary School, Thornham'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)
- Is the council's high needs budget in deficit, and could that affect the school's top-ups? Why ask: Councils' accumulated high needs deficits are forecast to reach £14 billion by 2028. Statutory override: since 2020-21 DSG deficits are held in a separate unusable reserve rather than met from council general funds. The override runs to the end of 2027-28. Under the February 2026 approach, the High Needs Stability Grant pays 90% of each LA's eligible DSG deficit at 31 March 2026 from autumn 2026, so 2026-27 balances will fall sharply. (IFS, p. 61)
- 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.
- All Saints Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, Datchworth
- Yoxall St Peter's CofE Primary School
- Tysoe CofE Primary School
- Milton-on-Stour Church of England Primary School
- Corpus Christi Catholic Primary School
Admissions and catchments for St John's Church of England Primary School, Thornham on Schools in Reach · All Rochdale school finances · Schools in Heywood and Middleton North · CRANMER EDUCATION 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)