Parkside Community Primary School: school finances
Tight
Holds £38k in reserve, under 3% of a year's income: little room for surprises.
Latest full year 2025-26, as a council-run school (CFR return, April–March). East Sussex · Primary · Community 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 | £1.2m | £1.1m | +£67k | £142k | 259 |
2019-20 | £1.2m | £1.2m | -£19k | £122k | 262 |
2020-21 | £1.2m | £1.2m | +£14k | £136k | 227 |
2021-22 | £1.2m | £1.3m | -£62k | £74k | 230 |
2022-23 | £1.3m | £1.3m | -£92k | -£17k | 226 |
2023-24 | £1.3m | £1.3m | -£25k | -£42k | 227 |
2024-25 | £1.5m | £1.4m | +£87k | £45k | 230 |
2025-26 | £1.6m | £1.6m | -£6k | £38k | 210 |
Compared with similar schools
Similar schools are the 30 primary 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 23% of them. It spends £7,414 a pupil in total; similar schools typically spend £6,584.
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 | £3,244 | £3,094 | £2,968–£3,399 |
Support staff (e.g. TAs) | £1,682 | £1,286 | £949–£1,487 |
Supply staff | £208 | £66 | £10–£146 |
Admin and clerical | £348 | £309 | £287–£377 |
Premises | £268 | £308 | £286–£380 |
Energy | £95 | £100 | £82–£118 |
Learning resources & ICT | £282 | £312 | £238–£387 |
Bought-in services | £241 | £149 | £101–£222 |
Compare side by side with the 3 most similar schools
Which schools are these?
- Lower Peover CofE Primary School Large reserves
- Kingston Primary School Healthy
- St Rose's Catholic Infant School Large reserves
- Bottesford Infant School In deficit
- Leigh Academy High Halstow Large reserves
- Weaver Primary School In deficit
- Forsbrook CofE Controlled Primary School Large reserves
- Totley All Saints Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School Healthy
- Ryarsh Primary School Tight
- Garswood Primary and Nursery School Healthy
- Chartridge Combined School Healthy
- St Columba's School In deficit
Where the money comes from, 2025-26
| Source | Amount | Per pupil |
|---|---|---|
Government grants | £1.5m | £6,929 |
SEN funding (part of grants) | £91k | £433 |
Pupil premium (part of grants) | £45k | £216 |
Self-generated (lettings, catering, donations) | £106k | £502 |
Money raised by parents
PARKSIDE PARENT TEACHERS ASSOCIATION (charity 1164184, Registered) raised £10k in its latest year.
| Year ending | Income | Spending |
|---|---|---|
2025-09 | £10k | £6k |
2024-09 | £15k | £7k |
2023-09 | £16k | £10k |
2022-09 | £16k | £7k |
2021-09 | £6k | £1k |
Matched to this school by name and postcode from the Charity Commission register. Parent associations' money isn't in the school's accounts above.
Questions to ask the school
Useful for parents, governors and PTA committees.
- What would the school do if costs rose unexpectedly, such as energy or a pay award that isn't fully funded?
- Pupil numbers have fallen 19% since 2018-19. How is the school planning for fewer pupils, and the funding that goes with them?
- Spending on supply staff is £208 a pupil, against a typical £66 for similar schools. What's behind that?
- Spending on support staff (e.g. tas) is £1,682 a pupil, against a typical £1,286 for similar schools. What's behind that?
- How does the school decide what the money the parents' association raises is spent on?
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 Parkside Community Primary School · All East Sussex school finances