St Mary's Church of England Primary School: school finances
Latest full year 2025-26, as a council-run school (CFR return, April to March). South Gloucestershire · Primary · Academy converter
Heading for deficit
Has spent more than it received for 2 years running; at that rate its £53k £170 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 the council, 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 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 Large reserves reserve 8% or more of a year's income
- 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
- 2024-25 Healthy reserve between 3% and 8% of a year's income
- 2025-26 Heading for deficit spending more than it received, reserve running down
Government funding vs spending per pupil
In 2025-26, government funding was £1.9m £6,064 per pupil and spending £2.0m £6,493 per pupil. Spending was £135k £430 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | 314.0 | £2.0m £6,355 per pupil | £2.0m £6,493 per pupil | -£43k -£138 per pupil | £53k £170 per pupil |
| 2024-25 | 314.0 | £1.9m £6,114 per pupil | £2.0m £6,446 per pupil | -£104k -£332 per pupil | £97k £308 per pupil |
| 2023-24 | 314.0 | £1.9m £6,120 per pupil | £1.9m £5,981 per pupil | +£43k +£138 per pupil | £201k £640 per pupil |
| 2022-23 | 331.0 | £1.8m £5,382 per pupil | £1.8m £5,389 per pupil | -£2k -£6 per pupil | £157k £476 per pupil |
| 2021-22 | 330.0 | £1.7m £5,049 per pupil | £1.7m £5,072 per pupil | -£8k -£23 per pupil | £160k £484 per pupil |
| 2020-21 | 328.0 | £1.6m £4,745 per pupil | £1.5m £4,572 per pupil | +£57k +£174 per pupil | £167k £510 per pupil |
| 2019-20 | 330.0 | £1.5m £4,402 per pupil | £1.5m £4,496 per pupil | -£31k -£94 per pupil | £110k £334 per pupil |
| 2018-19 | 330.0 | £1.4m £4,236 per pupil | £1.4m £4,092 per pupil | +£48k +£144 per pupil | £141k £429 per pupil |
Where the money comes from
| Line | 2025-26 | Trend per pupil | Change per pupil since 2018-19 | Similar schools (median per pupil) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total income | £2.0m £6,355 per pupil | +50% +14% real | £6k | |
| Government funding | £1.9m £6,064 per pupil | +57% +19% real | £6k | |
| Special needs (SEN) funding | £125k £397 per pupil | +111% +61% real | £265 | |
| Pupil premium | £76k £241 per pupil | +111% +61% real | £207 | |
| Money the school raised itself | £99k £315 per pupil | -13% -34% real | £508 | |
| Donations (day-to-day) | £9k £27 per pupil | -48% -60% real | £26 | |
| Donations for buildings and equipment | £450 £1 per pupil | -75% -80% real | £0 | |
| Facilities and services | £51k £161 per pupil | +69% +29% real | £300 | |
| Catering income | £7 £0 per pupil | -100% -100% real | £79 | |
| Other DfE grants | £81k £257 per pupil | +5% -20% real | £243 |
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 | 2025-26 | Trend per pupil | Change per pupil since 2018-19 | Similar schools (median per pupil) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total spending | £2.0m £6,493 per pupil | +59% +21% real | £7k | |
| Teachers | £1.0m £3,186 per pupil | +55% +18% real | £3k | |
| Supply staff | £8k £26 per pupil | -60% -69% real | £56 | |
| Support staff | £462k £1,472 per pupil | +163% +101% real | £1k | |
| Office and admin staff | £86k £273 per pupil | +66% +27% real | £288 | |
| Premises staff | £65k £208 per pupil | +59% +21% real | £187 | |
| Catering staff | £4 £0 per pupil | £0 | ||
| Other staff costs | £80k £256 per pupil | +65% +26% real | £249 | |
| All staff costs | £1.6m £5,243 per pupil | +73% +32% real | £5k | |
| Premises | £89k £283 per pupil | +32% +0% real | £356 | |
| Energy | £28k £88 per pupil | +47% +11% real | £93 | |
| Rates, water and other building costs | £151k £481 per pupil | +23% -6% real | £609 | |
| Catering | £84k £269 per pupil | +2% -22% real | £291 | |
| Learning resources | £82k £261 per pupil | +18% -10% real | £293 | |
| Supplies and services | £152k £484 per pupil | +7% -19% real | £633 | |
| Bought-in services | £51k £162 per pupil | -16% -36% real | £190 |
Staff costs were 81% of this school's spending in 2025-26. Across England, over 80% of schools' costs are staff costs. (IFS, p. 63)
In 2025-26 prices, this school spent £2.0m £6,493 per pupil in 2025-26. Across England, primary schools are expected to spend about £7,000 per pupil in 2025–26. (IFS, p. 7)
Pupils by year
- 2018-19 330.0
- 2019-20 330.0
- 2020-21 328.0
- 2021-22 330.0
- 2022-23 331.0
- 2023-24 314.0
- 2024-25 314.0
- 2025-26 314.0
Money raised by parents
| School year | Raised | Spent |
|---|---|---|
| 2026-27 year to August 2026 | £8k | £7k |
| 2025-26 year to August 2025 | £7k £21 per pupil | £18k £57 per pupil |
| 2024-25 year to August 2024 | £6k £18 per pupil | £7k £21 per pupil |
| 2023-24 year to August 2023 | £11k £35 per pupil | £9k £28 per pupil |
| 2022-23 year to August 2022 | £10k £29 per pupil | £3k £10 per pupil |
- FRIENDS OF ST MARY'S CHURCH OF ENGLAND SCHOOL (charity 1022264) Latest return: £8k in the year to August 2026. It reports 12 volunteers. Annual return due 30 June 2024.
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 5 of 10 (1 = most deprived)
- Income deprivation affecting children: decile 7 of 10 (1 = most deprived)
- 27% of adults nearby hold a degree-level qualification
- 76% of nearby homes are owner-occupied
- 10% 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 2025-26, here is roughly where it went, with the amount for each pupil.
- Teachers £1.0m £3,212 per pupil
- Support staff £462k £1,472 per pupil
- Buildings and grounds £89k £283 per pupil
- Energy £28k £88 per pupil
- Learning resources £82k £261 per pupil
- Everything else £370k £1,177 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)
- 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.
- St Mary's Church of England Primary School 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 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)
- How does St Mary's Church of England 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)
- If the gap does not close, what would the school cut first?
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.
- Caen Community Primary School
- Aughton Town Green Primary School
- Farndon Primary School
- St Bede's Catholic Primary School
- Carlton Primary School
Admissions and catchments for St Mary's Church of England Primary School on Schools in Reach · All South Gloucestershire school finances · Schools in Thornbury and Yate · SEVERN FEDERATION 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)