Holy Trinity Church of England Primary School, Cuckfield: school finances
Latest full year 2024-25, as an academy (accounts return, September to August). West Sussex · Primary · Academy converter
Heading for deficit
Has spent more than it received for 2 years running; at that rate its £92k £219 per pupil reserve runs out in about 2 years.
Why schools go into deficit. Most of a school's money goes on people: over 80% of schools' costs are staff costs. So when pay and other costs rise faster than funding, or a school loses pupils and the money that comes with each one, the budget is squeezed quickly and staffing is the only big thing left to cut. In 2024–25 and 2025–26, mainstream school funding per pupil grew by 2 percentage points less than school costs, partly because rising special needs costs took a large share of the extra money. A deficit usually comes from several of these pressures at once, not one bad decision. (IFS, pp. 62–63)
What helps. Schools in this position usually agree a recovery plan with HURST EDUCATION TRUST LIMITED, often over two or three years, and governors check progress against it each term. The questions further down are a good way to start that conversation.
Status by year
- 2018-19 Healthy reserve between 3% and 8% of a year's income
- 2019-20 Tight reserve under 3% of a year's income
- 2020-21 Healthy reserve between 3% and 8% of a year's income
- 2021-22 Healthy same as the year before
- 2022-23 Healthy same as the year before
- 2023-24 Tight reserve under 3% of a year's income
- 2024-25 Heading for deficit spending more than it received, reserve running down
Government funding vs spending per pupil
In 2024-25, government funding was £2.3m £5,453 per pupil and spending £2.5m £5,854 per pupil. Spending was £168k £401 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 | 419.0 | £2.4m £5,716 per pupil | £2.5m £5,854 per pupil | -£58k -£138 per pupil | £87k £208 per pupil |
| 2023-24 | 414.0 | £2.2m £5,320 per pupil | £2.3m £5,584 per pupil | -£109k -£264 per pupil | £10k £25 per pupil |
| 2022-23 | 417.0 | £2.1m £4,996 per pupil | £2.1m £4,945 per pupil | +£21k +£50 per pupil | £120k £287 per pupil |
| 2021-22 | 403.0 | £2.0m £4,882 per pupil | £2.0m £4,899 per pupil | -£7k -£17 per pupil | £99k £245 per pupil |
| 2020-21 | 419.0 | £1.8m £4,324 per pupil | £1.7m £4,140 per pupil | +£77k +£184 per pupil | £106k £252 per pupil |
| 2019-20 | 400.0 | £1.6m £4,017 per pupil | £1.6m £4,073 per pupil | -£22k -£56 per pupil | £28k £71 per pupil |
| 2018-19 | 379.0 | £1.5m £3,834 per pupil | £1.4m £3,789 per pupil | +£17k +£45 per pupil | £51k £134 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 | £2.4m £5,716 per pupil | +49% +16% real | £6k | |
| Government funding | £2.3m £5,453 per pupil | +50% +16% real | £6k | |
| Special needs (SEN) funding | £110k £263 per pupil | +912% +666% real | £206 | |
| Pupil premium | Not reported in academy accounts | |||
| Money the school raised itself | £72k £172 per pupil | -9% -29% real | £478 | |
| Donations (day-to-day) | £62k £148 per pupil | +63% +26% real | £22 | |
| Donations for buildings and equipment | Not reported in academy accounts | |||
| Facilities and services | £9k £21 per pupil | +31% +5% real | £96 | |
| Catering income | £0 £0 per pupil | -100% -100% real | £80 | |
| Other DfE grants | £12k £29 per pupil | -89% -91% real | £213 | |
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 | £2.5m £5,854 per pupil | +54% +20% real | £6k | |
| Teachers | £1.3m £3,103 per pupil | +56% +22% real | £3k | |
| Supply staff | £49k £117 per pupil | -8% -28% real | £79 | |
| Support staff | £466k £1,112 per pupil | +108% +62% real | £983 | |
| Office and admin staff | £115k £274 per pupil | +29% +0% real | £277 | |
| Premises staff | £41k £98 per pupil | +32% +3% real | £104 | |
| Catering staff | £75k £179 per pupil | £0 | ||
| Other staff costs | £10k £24 per pupil | -81% -85% real | £230 | |
| All staff costs | £1.9m £4,652 per pupil | +54% +20% real | £5k | |
| Premises | £111k £265 per pupil | +19% -8% real | £316 | |
| Energy | £27k £64 per pupil | +68% +32% real | £89 | |
| Rates, water and other building costs | £210k £501 per pupil | +134% +82% real | £517 | |
| Catering | £144k £344 per pupil | +199% +132% real | £304 | |
| Learning resources | £130k £310 per pupil | +32% +3% real | £262 | |
| Supplies and services | £183k £437 per pupil | +33% +3% real | £527 | |
| Bought-in services | £11k £26 per pupil | -13% -32% real | £166 |
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 £2.5m £5,967 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
- 2018-19 379.0
- 2019-20 400.0
- 2020-21 419.0
- 2021-22 403.0
- 2022-23 417.0
- 2023-24 414.0
- 2024-25 419.0
Trust central spending
What HURST EDUCATION TRUST LIMITED spent centrally per pupil, on top of this school's own accounts:
- 2024-25 £269
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 | £33k £80 per pupil | £34k £81 per pupil |
| 2023-24 year to August 2023, August 2024 | £59k £143 per pupil | £43k £104 per pupil |
| 2022-23 year to August 2022 | £29k £68 per pupil | £30k £71 per pupil |
| 2021-22 year to August 2021 | £30k £73 per pupil | £32k £80 per pupil |
- HOLY TRINITY CE A PRIMARY SCHOOL PTA (charity 1088779) Latest return: £33k £80 per pupil in the year to August 2025. It reports 150 volunteers. Annual return due 30 June 2026.
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
- 8% of pupils eligible for free school meals (median school: council 13%, England 22%)
- Neighbourhood deprivation decile 7 of 10 (1 = most deprived)
- Income deprivation affecting children: decile 7 of 10 (1 = most deprived)
- 40% of adults nearby hold a degree-level qualification
- 67% of nearby homes are owner-occupied
- 19% 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 £1.3m £3,220 per pupil
- Support staff £466k £1,112 per pupil
- Buildings and grounds £111k £265 per pupil
- Energy £27k £64 per pupil
- Learning resources £130k £310 per pupil
- Everything else £370k £883 per pupil
National context
- In 2024–25 and 2025–26, mainstream school funding per pupil grew by 2 percentage points less than school costs nationally. (IFS, p. 62)
- 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.
- Holy Trinity Church of England Primary School, Cuckfield has spent more than it received for 2 years. Is that planned, and what does the school expect its reserve to be in three years' time?
- How much of Holy Trinity Church of England Primary School, Cuckfield's funding does HURST EDUCATION TRUST LIMITED 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?
- What does the budget assume about pay rises and pupil numbers over the next three years? Why ask: The IFS projects school costs could grow 0.5 to 1 percentage points a year faster than funding to 2028–29. (IFS, p. 11)
- Does the school's reserve figure include its share of the trust's central reserves?
- How does Holy Trinity Church of England Primary School, Cuckfield'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)
- If the gap does not close, what would the school cut first?
- 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.
- The Hall School
- Woodmansterne Primary School
- Christ Church CofE (C) Primary School
- Welwyn St Mary's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School
- Euxton Primrose Hill Primary School
Admissions and catchments for Holy Trinity Church of England Primary School, Cuckfield on Schools in Reach · All West Sussex school finances · Schools in Mid Sussex · HURST EDUCATION TRUST LIMITED
- 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)