The Grove Nursery School: school finances
Large reserves
Holds £660k in reserve, 56% of a year's income.
Latest full year 2025-26, as a council-run school (CFR return, April–March). Southwark · Nursery · Local authority nursery school.
Reserve at the end of each year, 2018-19 to 2025-26
Income and spending, 2018-19 to 2025-26
Income Spending
Show the figures as a table
| Year | Income | Spending | Balance | Reserve | Pupils |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2018-19 | £683k | £719k | -£35k | -£166k | 52 |
2019-20 | £776k | £774k | +£3k | -£163k | 49 |
2020-21 | £859k | £832k | +£27k | -£136k | 45 |
2021-22 | £913k | £833k | +£79k | -£56k | 56 |
2022-23 | £974k | £915k | +£59k | £3k | 55 |
2023-24 | £997k | £888k | +£110k | £113k | 57 |
2024-25 | £1.4m | £937k | +£429k | £542k | 54 |
2025-26 | £1.2m | £1.1m | +£118k | £660k | 57 |
Compared with similar schools
Similar schools are the 30 nursery schools in London closest in size and in the share of pupils on free school meals. Its reserve, as a share of income, is higher than 97% of them. It spends £18,500 a pupil in total; similar schools typically spend £19,464.
This school Middle half of similar schools Similar schools’ median
Show the comparison as a table
| Spending per pupil | This school | Similar schools (median) | Middle half |
|---|---|---|---|
Teachers | £4,650 | £4,849 | £3,797–£6,661 |
Support staff (e.g. TAs) | £6,525 | £6,884 | £5,369–£8,998 |
Supply staff | £1,068 | £95 | £9–£241 |
Admin and clerical | £1,642 | £1,347 | £1,017–£1,757 |
Premises | £972 | £1,210 | £841–£1,755 |
Energy | £267 | £210 | £141–£304 |
Learning resources & ICT | £559 | £337 | £248–£400 |
Bought-in services | £562 | £989 | £573–£2,319 |
Compare side by side with the 3 most similar schools
Which schools are these?
- Ethelred Nursery School and Children's Centre In deficit
- Maytree Nursery School In deficit
- Somerset Nursery School and Children's Centre Large reserves
- Kate Greenaway Nursery School and Children's Centre Tight
- Margaret McMillan Nursery School Large reserves
- Kintore Way Nursery School In deficit
- Nell Gwynn Nursery School Tight
- Holmewood Nursery School Large reserves
- Dulwich Wood Nursery School Large reserves
- Mary Paterson Nursery School Healthy
- Vanessa Nursery School Large reserves
- Wentworth Nursery School and Children's Centre Large reserves
Where the money comes from, 2025-26
| Source | Amount | Per pupil |
|---|---|---|
Government grants | £1.1m | £19,219 |
SEN funding (part of grants) | £125k | £2,193 |
Self-generated (lettings, catering, donations) | £77k | £1,355 |
Questions to ask the school
Useful for parents, governors and PTA committees.
- What are the reserves set aside for, and when will they be spent on current pupils?
- Could any of the surplus be clawed back under the council's scheme for financing schools?
- Spending on supply staff is £1,068 a pupil, against a typical £95 for similar schools. What's behind that?
- Spending on learning resources & ict is £559 a pupil, against a typical £337 for similar schools. What's behind that?
Check these figures
Every figure here comes from the school's published return to the DfE. Check it on the DfE benchmarking page for this school, and see how the status is worked out.
Admissions, Ofsted and results for The Grove Nursery School · All Southwark school finances