All Saints Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School: school finances
Latest full year 2024-25, as a council-run school (CFR return, April to March). Dorset · Primary · Academy converter
Large reserves
Holds £76k £608 per pupil in reserve, 8% of a year's income.
Status by year
- 2018-19 Large reserves reserve 8% or more of a year's income
- 2019-20 Healthy reserve between 3% and 8% of a year's income
- 2020-21 Healthy same as the year before
- 2021-22 Healthy same as the year before
- 2022-23 Healthy same as the year before
- 2023-24 Healthy 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 £877k £7,017 per pupil and spending £902k £7,214 per pupil. Spending was £25k £197 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 125.0 | £929k £7,428 per pupil | £902k £7,214 per pupil | +£27k +£214 per pupil | £76k £608 per pupil |
| 2023-24 | 125.0 | £846k £6,770 per pupil | £849k £6,791 per pupil | -£3k -£21 per pupil | £49k £394 per pupil |
| 2022-23 | 130.0 | £780k £6,004 per pupil | £768k £5,906 per pupil | +£13k +£98 per pupil | £52k £399 per pupil |
| 2021-22 | 124.0 | £638k £5,146 per pupil | £631k £5,092 per pupil | +£7k +£55 per pupil | £39k £316 per pupil |
| 2020-21 | 106.0 | £563k £5,315 per pupil | £567k £5,351 per pupil | -£4k -£36 per pupil | £32k £306 per pupil |
| 2019-20 | 97.0 | £543k £5,602 per pupil | £559k £5,767 per pupil | -£16k -£165 per pupil | £36k £374 per pupil |
| 2018-19 | 95.5 | £517k £5,410 per pupil | £478k £5,007 per pupil | +£38k +£403 per pupil | £52k £548 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 | £929k £7,428 per pupil | +37% +8% real | £8k | |
| Government funding | £877k £7,017 per pupil | +34% +5% real | £7k | |
| Special needs (SEN) funding | £0 £0 per pupil | £223 | ||
| Pupil premium | £37k £295 per pupil | +3% -19% real | £346 | |
| Money the school raised itself | £51k £411 per pupil | +154% +100% real | £408 | |
| Donations (day-to-day) | £8k £61 per pupil | -40% -53% real | £35 | |
| Donations for buildings and equipment | £0 £0 per pupil | £0 | ||
| Facilities and services | £29k £235 per pupil | £132 | ||
| Catering income | £8k £61 per pupil | £8 | ||
| Other DfE grants | £41k £331 per pupil | -12% -30% real | £283 |
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 | 2024-25 | Trend per pupil | Change per pupil since 2018-19 | Similar schools (median per pupil) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total spending | £902k £7,214 per pupil | +44% +14% real | £8k | |
| Teachers | £386k £3,088 per pupil | +39% +9% real | £3k | |
| Supply staff | £0 £0 per pupil | -100% -100% real | £102 | |
| Support staff | £224k £1,794 per pupil | +126% +78% real | £2k | |
| Office and admin staff | £40k £323 per pupil | +6% -16% real | £397 | |
| Premises staff | £8k £64 per pupil | +14% -11% real | £177 | |
| Catering staff | £0 £0 per pupil | £0 | ||
| Other staff costs | £41k £325 per pupil | +43% +12% real | £188 | |
| All staff costs | £691k £5,530 per pupil | +49% +18% real | £6k | |
| Premises | £41k £324 per pupil | +32% +4% real | £376 | |
| Energy | £13k £105 per pupil | +114% +69% real | £158 | |
| Rates, water and other building costs | £66k £528 per pupil | +47% +16% real | £676 | |
| Catering | £36k £288 per pupil | +77% +39% real | £331 | |
| Learning resources | £49k £395 per pupil | +49% +18% real | £331 | |
| Supplies and services | £98k £780 per pupil | +20% -5% real | £710 | |
| Bought-in services | £22k £177 per pupil | -18% -36% real | £246 |
Staff costs were 77% 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 £932k £7,456 per pupil in 2024-25. Across England, primary schools are expected to spend about £7,000 per pupil in 2025–26. (IFS, p. 7)
Pupils by year
- 2018-19 95.5
- 2019-20 97.0
- 2020-21 106.0
- 2021-22 124.0
- 2022-23 130.0
- 2023-24 125.0
- 2024-25 125.0
Income that passed straight through
In 2024-25, this school's income rose by +£82k +£658 per pupil on the year before, and its staff costs by +£73k +£588 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
| School year | Raised | Spent |
|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 year to August 2025 | £4k | £4k |
| 2024-25 year to August 2024 | £8k £66 per pupil | £10k £84 per pupil |
| 2023-24 year to August 2023 | £6k £51 per pupil | £2k £17 per pupil |
| 2022-23 year to August 2022 | £15k £117 per pupil | £13k £96 per pupil |
- ALL SAINTS SCHOOL ASSOCIATION BISHOPS CAUNDLE (charity 1088665) Latest return: £4k in the year to August 2026. It reports 5 volunteers. Annual return due 30 June 2023.
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
- 22% of pupils eligible for free school meals (median school: council 18%, England 22%)
- Neighbourhood deprivation decile 6 of 10 (1 = most deprived)
- Income deprivation affecting children: decile 7 of 10 (1 = most deprived)
- 39% of adults nearby hold a degree-level qualification
- 62% of nearby homes are owner-occupied
- 11% 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 £386k £3,088 per pupil
- Support staff £224k £1,794 per pupil
- Buildings and grounds £41k £324 per pupil
- Energy £13k £105 per pupil
- Learning resources £49k £395 per pupil
- Everything else £188k £1,508 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)
Questions to ask the school
Useful for parents, governors and PTFA committees.
- What is All Saints Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School's £76k £608 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 All Saints Church of England Voluntary Controlled 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?
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.
- Surrey Hills All Saints Primary School
- Stanhope Barrington CofE Primary School
- Layston Church of England First School
- Luddington & Garthorpe Primary
- Salehurst Church of England Primary School
Admissions and catchments for All Saints Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School on Schools in Reach · All Dorset school finances · Schools in West Dorset · PICKWICK 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
- 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)