Knowles Nursery School: school finances
Large reserves
Holds £107k in reserve, 18% of a year's income.
Latest full year 2025-26, as a council-run school (CFR return, April–March). Milton Keynes · 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 | £422k | £374k | +£48k | £69k | 51 |
2019-20 | £408k | £425k | -£17k | £52k | 46 |
2020-21 | £414k | £416k | -£2k | £50k | 48 |
2021-22 | £474k | £434k | +£40k | £90k | 50 |
2022-23 | £442k | £473k | -£31k | £60k | 47 |
2023-24 | £557k | £517k | +£40k | £100k | 52 |
2024-25 | £535k | £543k | -£8k | £92k | 49 |
2025-26 | £611k | £595k | +£16k | £107k | 49 |
Compared with similar schools
Similar schools are the 30 nursery schools outside London closest in size and in the share of pupils on free school meals. Its reserve, as a share of income, is higher than 80% of them. It spends £12,146 a pupil in total; similar schools typically spend £12,816.
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 | £3,316 | £3,555 | £2,919–£3,993 |
Support staff (e.g. TAs) | £5,091 | £4,860 | £3,711–£6,395 |
Supply staff | £859 | £96 | £36–£263 |
Admin and clerical | £859 | £840 | £626–£1,177 |
Premises | £477 | £820 | £527–£987 |
Energy | £86 | £173 | £132–£262 |
Learning resources & ICT | £393 | £253 | £195–£420 |
Bought-in services | £391 | £352 | £185–£593 |
Compare side by side with the 3 most similar schools
Which schools are these?
- Crossens Nursery School Large reserves
- Bordesley Green East Nursery School In deficit
- Parkview Nursery School Large reserves
- McMillan Nursery School Healthy
- Scartho Nursery School Large reserves
- Stoneygate Nursery School Healthy
- Boston Nursery School Large reserves
- Colleges Nursery School In deficit
- Aspiring Foundations Federated Nursery Schools - Ditton Nursery School In deficit
- Maidenhead Nursery School Large reserves
- Batford Nursery School Large reserves
- Wallace Road Nursery School Large reserves
Where the money comes from, 2025-26
| Source | Amount | Per pupil |
|---|---|---|
Government grants | £609k | £12,425 |
SEN funding (part of grants) | £14k | £290 |
Self-generated (lettings, catering, donations) | £23k | £478 |
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 £859 a pupil, against a typical £96 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 Knowles Nursery School · All Milton Keynes school finances