Walton Lane Nursery School: school finances
Tight
Holds £14k 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). Lancashire · 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 | £1.3m | £1.2m | +£95k | £63k | 51 |
2019-20 | £1.1m | £1.1m | -£10k | £53k | 48 |
2020-21 | £1.1m | £1.0m | +£41k | £94k | 46 |
2021-22 | £817k | £932k | -£115k | -£21k | 40 |
2022-23 | £849k | £833k | +£16k | -£5k | 46 |
2023-24 | £815k | £812k | +£3k | -£2k | 36 |
2024-25 | £781k | £784k | -£3k | -£5k | 29 |
2025-26 | £834k | £814k | +£19k | £14k | 28 |
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 27% of them. It spends £29,617 a pupil in total; similar schools typically spend £15,457.
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 | £7,294 | £4,315 | £3,452–£6,371 |
Support staff (e.g. TAs) | £2,948 | £4,658 | £3,370–£7,127 |
Supply staff | £61 | £211 | £129–£915 |
Admin and clerical | £648 | £1,148 | £914–£1,553 |
Premises | £749 | £965 | £751–£1,270 |
Energy | £655 | £215 | £151–£284 |
Learning resources & ICT | £549 | £375 | £298–£474 |
Bought-in services | £1,351 | £699 | £386–£1,214 |
Compare side by side with the 3 most similar schools
Which schools are these?
- Otley Street Community Nursery School In deficit
- Chatham Place Nursery School Large reserves
- Fairfield Nursery School Healthy
- Bridlington Nursery School Large reserves
- Etherley Lane Nursery School Large reserves
- Whitehills Nursery School Large reserves
- Harewood Centre Nursery School Large reserves
- Ribblesdale Nursery School Large reserves
- Flagg Nursery School Healthy
- Moorgate Nursery School Tight
- Moorlands Centre Nursery School In deficit
- King's Lynn Nursery School Large reserves
Where the money comes from, 2025-26
| Source | Amount | Per pupil |
|---|---|---|
Government grants | £434k | £15,774 |
Self-generated (lettings, catering, donations) | £400k | £14,537 |
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 46% since 2018-19. How is the school planning for fewer pupils, and the funding that goes with them?
- Spending on energy is £655 a pupil, against a typical £215 for similar schools. What's behind that?
- Spending on bought-in services is £1,351 a pupil, against a typical £699 for similar schools. What's behind that?
- Spending on teachers is £7,294 a pupil, against a typical £4,315 for similar schools. What's behind that?
- Spending on learning resources & ict is £549 a pupil, against a typical £375 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 Walton Lane Nursery School · All Lancashire school finances