St Helen'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
In deficit
In deficit by £67k £327 per pupil, 5% of a year's income: it has spent more over the years than it received.
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 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 In deficit reserve below zero
- 2024-25 In deficit same as the year before
- 2025-26 In deficit same as the year before
Government funding vs spending per pupil
In 2025-26, government funding was £1.2m £5,934 per pupil and spending £1.3m £6,301 per pupil. Spending was £76k £367 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 | 206.0 | £1.3m £6,391 per pupil | £1.3m £6,301 per pupil | +£19k +£91 per pupil | -£67k -£327 per pupil |
| 2024-25 | 207.0 | £1.3m £6,105 per pupil | £1.3m £6,410 per pupil | -£63k -£305 per pupil | -£86k -£415 per pupil |
| 2023-24 | 207.0 | £1.2m £5,700 per pupil | £1.3m £6,151 per pupil | -£93k -£451 per pupil | -£23k -£110 per pupil |
| 2022-23 | 204.0 | £1.2m £5,876 per pupil | £1.2m £5,855 per pupil | +£4k +£21 per pupil | £70k £346 per pupil |
| 2021-22 | 208.0 | £1.1m £5,517 per pupil | £1.1m £5,458 per pupil | +£12k +£59 per pupil | £66k £318 per pupil |
| 2020-21 | 205.0 | £1.0m £4,975 per pupil | £993k £4,846 per pupil | +£27k +£130 per pupil | £54k £264 per pupil |
| 2019-20 | 201.0 | £1.0m £5,014 per pupil | £1.0m £5,137 per pupil | -£25k -£123 per pupil | £27k £137 per pupil |
| 2018-19 | 206.0 | £964k £4,680 per pupil | £958k £4,651 per pupil | +£6k +£29 per pupil | £52k £254 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 | £1.3m £6,391 per pupil | +37% +4% real | £7k | |
| Government funding | £1.2m £5,934 per pupil | +37% +5% real | £6k | |
| Special needs (SEN) funding | £67k £324 per pupil | +71% +31% real | £241 | |
| Pupil premium | £26k £128 per pupil | -32% -48% real | £133 | |
| Money the school raised itself | £94k £458 per pupil | +10% -16% real | £480 | |
| Donations (day-to-day) | £26k £127 per pupil | +127% +74% real | £33 | |
| Donations for buildings and equipment | £0 £0 per pupil | £0 | ||
| Facilities and services | £52k £252 per pupil | -15% -35% real | £192 | |
| Catering income | £0 £0 per pupil | £84 | ||
| Other DfE grants | £49k £238 per pupil | -13% -34% real | £282 |
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 | £1.3m £6,301 per pupil | +35% +3% real | £7k | |
| Teachers | £651k £3,160 per pupil | +37% +5% real | £3k | |
| Supply staff | £6k £27 per pupil | -80% -85% real | £89 | |
| Support staff | £209k £1,012 per pupil | +63% +24% real | £1k | |
| Office and admin staff | £71k £344 per pupil | +47% +12% real | £327 | |
| Premises staff | £19k £92 per pupil | +37% +5% real | £102 | |
| Catering staff | £0 £0 per pupil | £0 | ||
| Other staff costs | £44k £214 per pupil | -1% -25% real | £201 | |
| All staff costs | £987k £4,789 per pupil | +35% +3% real | £5k | |
| Premises | £60k £291 per pupil | +66% +27% real | £292 | |
| Energy | £26k £125 per pupil | +69% +30% real | £83 | |
| Rates, water and other building costs | £123k £596 per pupil | +54% +17% real | £532 | |
| Catering | £55k £266 per pupil | +61% +23% real | £294 | |
| Learning resources | £66k £323 per pupil | +92% +47% real | £320 | |
| Supplies and services | £127k £616 per pupil | +25% -5% real | £637 | |
| Bought-in services | £49k £238 per pupil | -14% -35% real | £201 |
Staff costs were 76% 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 £1.3m £6,301 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
- 2018-19 206.0
- 2019-20 201.0
- 2020-21 205.0
- 2021-22 208.0
- 2022-23 204.0
- 2023-24 207.0
- 2024-25 207.0
- 2025-26 206.0
Money raised by parents
No registered parents' association found for St Helen's Church of England Primary School. 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
- Neighbourhood deprivation decile 8 of 10 (1 = most deprived)
- Income deprivation affecting children: decile 6 of 10 (1 = most deprived)
- 38% of adults nearby hold a degree-level qualification
- 79% of nearby homes are owner-occupied
- 14% 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 £657k £3,188 per pupil
- Support staff £209k £1,012 per pupil
- Buildings and grounds £60k £291 per pupil
- Energy £26k £125 per pupil
- Learning resources £66k £323 per pupil
- Everything else £281k £1,362 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.
- What is the plan to get St Helen's Church of England Primary School back into balance, and how many years will it take? Has the council agreed it?
- How much does the PTA (or friends' association) raise each year, and what does it pay for?
- What is driving the deficit: falling pupil numbers, staff costs, special needs support, or something else? Why ask: Over 80% of schools' costs are staff costs. (IFS, p. 63)
- How does St Helen'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)
- Will the recovery plan change class sizes, the subjects on offer or the number of support staff?
- Is the council giving the school extra help or a loan while it recovers?
- How often do governors see the budget forecast, and how close were last year's forecasts to what happened?
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.
- Charles Kingsley's Church of England Primary School
- Our Lady Star of the Sea Catholic Primary School
- St John Bosco Catholic Primary School
- St Joseph the Worker Catholic Primary School
- Baxenden St John's Church of England Primary School
Admissions and catchments for St Helen'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
- 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)