St Lawrence Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School: school finances
Latest full year 2024-25, as a council-run school (CFR return, April to March). Telford and Wrekin · Primary · Academy converter
Healthy
Holds £36k £415 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 Healthy same as the year before
- 2020-21 Healthy same as the year before
- 2021-22 In deficit reserve below zero
- 2022-23 Tight reserve under 3% of a year's income
- 2023-24 Tight same as the year before
- 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 £665k £7,644 per pupil and spending £697k £8,014 per pupil. Spending was £32k £370 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 | 87.0 | £726k £8,347 per pupil | £697k £8,014 per pupil | +£29k +£333 per pupil | £36k £415 per pupil |
| 2023-24 | 86.0 | £668k £7,767 per pupil | £673k £7,827 per pupil | -£5k -£60 per pupil | £7k £83 per pupil |
| 2022-23 | 87.0 | £642k £7,378 per pupil | £620k £7,128 per pupil | +£22k +£250 per pupil | £12k £142 per pupil |
| 2021-22 | 88.0 | £547k £6,212 per pupil | £574k £6,520 per pupil | -£27k -£308 per pupil | -£9k -£107 per pupil |
| 2020-21 | 86.0 | £503k £5,849 per pupil | £501k £5,824 per pupil | +£2k +£24 per pupil | £18k £206 per pupil |
| 2019-20 | 87.0 | £467k £5,370 per pupil | £477k £5,480 per pupil | -£10k -£110 per pupil | £16k £179 per pupil |
| 2018-19 | 82.0 | £480k £5,851 per pupil | £458k £5,584 per pupil | +£22k +£267 per pupil | £25k £307 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 | £726k £8,347 per pupil | +43% +12% real | £8k | |
| Government funding | £665k £7,644 per pupil | +37% +8% real | £8k | |
| Special needs (SEN) funding | £26k £295 per pupil | +478% +355% real | £222 | |
| Pupil premium | £20k £228 per pupil | -15% -33% real | £277 | |
| Money the school raised itself | £61k £703 per pupil | +177% +118% real | £453 | |
| Donations (day-to-day) | £0 £0 per pupil recorded | £37 | ||
| Donations for buildings and equipment | £0 £0 per pupil | £0 | ||
| Facilities and services | £60k £693 per pupil | +243% +170% real | £116 | |
| Catering income | £0 £0 per pupil | £70 | ||
| Other DfE grants | £32k £363 per pupil | -7% -27% real | £289 |
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 | £697k £8,014 per pupil | +44% +13% real | £8k | |
| Teachers | £317k £3,648 per pupil | +63% +29% real | £4k | |
| Supply staff | £3k £33 per pupil | -8% -28% real | £122 | |
| Support staff | £136k £1,560 per pupil | +81% +43% real | £1k | |
| Office and admin staff | £37k £425 per pupil | +24% -2% real | £414 | |
| Premises staff | £13k £150 per pupil | £96 | ||
| Catering staff | £0 £0 per pupil | £0 | ||
| Other staff costs | £37k £420 per pupil | +192% +131% real | £244 | |
| All staff costs | £536k £6,155 per pupil | +67% +32% real | £6k | |
| Premises | £23k £261 per pupil | -28% -43% real | £362 | |
| Energy | £13k £149 per pupil | +75% +39% real | £125 | |
| Rates, water and other building costs | £59k £676 per pupil | +44% +13% real | £652 | |
| Catering | £32k £363 per pupil | +50% +18% real | £381 | |
| Learning resources | £25k £285 per pupil | -14% -32% real | £362 | |
| Supplies and services | £56k £638 per pupil | -28% -43% real | £834 | |
| Bought-in services | £30k £349 per pupil | -35% -48% real | £281 |
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 £721k £8,283 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 82.0
- 2019-20 87.0
- 2020-21 86.0
- 2021-22 88.0
- 2022-23 87.0
- 2023-24 86.0
- 2024-25 87.0
Money raised by parents
| School year | Raised | Spent |
|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 year to August 2025 | £3k | £4k |
| 2024-25 year to August 2024 | £2k £26 per pupil | £3k £29 per pupil |
| 2023-24 year to August 2023 | £3k £39 per pupil | £2k £24 per pupil |
| 2022-23 year to August 2022 | £2k £27 per pupil | £6k £65 per pupil |
| 2021-22 year to August 2021 | £4k £41 per pupil | £4k £47 per pupil |
- FRIENDS OF ST LAWRENCE SCHOOL PRESTON (charity 1011333) Latest return: £3k in the year to August 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
- Neighbourhood deprivation decile 8 of 10 (1 = most deprived)
- Income deprivation affecting children: decile 6 of 10 (1 = most deprived)
- 37% of adults nearby hold a degree-level qualification
- 76% of nearby homes are owner-occupied
- 9% of nearby homes are social rented
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 £320k £3,681 per pupil
- Support staff £136k £1,560 per pupil
- Buildings and grounds £23k £261 per pupil
- Energy £13k £149 per pupil
- Learning resources £25k £285 per pupil
- Everything else £181k £2,078 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.
- How much does the PTA (or friends' association) raise each year, and what does it pay for?
- How does St Lawrence 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)
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.
- Ellingham VC Primary School
- Alston Primary School
- Barlow CofE Primary School
- Northway Infant School
- St Kew Academy
Admissions and catchments for St Lawrence Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School on Schools in Reach · All Telford and Wrekin school finances · Schools in The Wrekin · ST BARTHOLOMEW'S CE 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
- 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)