St Paul's Nursery School: school finances
Heading for deficit
Has spent more than it received for 2 years running; at that rate its £43k reserve runs out in about 3 years.
Latest full year 2025-26, as a council-run school (CFR return, April–March). York · 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 | £482k | £490k | -£8k | -£13k | 57 |
2019-20 | £550k | £500k | +£49k | £37k | 46 |
2020-21 | £526k | £541k | -£15k | £22k | 38 |
2021-22 | £614k | £540k | +£74k | £96k | 36 |
2022-23 | £711k | £721k | -£10k | £85k | 43 |
2023-24 | £868k | £814k | +£54k | £140k | 44 |
2024-25 | £902k | £905k | -£3k | £136k | 38 |
2025-26 | £754k | £848k | -£94k | £43k | 51 |
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 50% of them. It spends £16,618 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 | £6,011 | £3,583 | £2,970–£4,086 |
Support staff (e.g. TAs) | £5,609 | £5,076 | £2,973–£6,305 |
Supply staff | £121 | £139 | £41–£421 |
Admin and clerical | £953 | £882 | £626–£1,241 |
Premises | £267 | £841 | £465–£1,037 |
Energy | £-1 | £198 | £139–£269 |
Learning resources & ICT | £391 | £315 | £186–£465 |
Bought-in services | £771 | £370 | £192–£619 |
Compare side by side with the 3 most similar schools
Which schools are these?
- The Nottingham Nursery School and Training Centre In deficit
- Sunny Brow Nursery School Healthy
- Huntingdon Federation Nursery School In deficit
- Maidenhead Nursery School Large reserves
- Greenacre Community Nursery School In deficit
- Beechdale Nursery School Large reserves
- Bacup Nursery School Large reserves
- The Kingsdown Nursery School, Lincoln Healthy
- Wheatley Nursery School Large reserves
- Bordesley Green East Nursery School In deficit
- Parkview Nursery School Large reserves
- McMillan Nursery School Healthy
Where the money comes from, 2025-26
| Source | Amount | Per pupil |
|---|---|---|
Government grants | £666k | £13,065 |
SEN funding (part of grants) | £101k | £1,989 |
Self-generated (lettings, catering, donations) | £87k | £1,714 |
Questions to ask the school
Useful for parents, governors and PTA committees.
- What is the plan to stop spending more than the school receives each year?
- Pupil numbers have fallen 11% since 2018-19. How is the school planning for fewer pupils, and the funding that goes with them?
- Spending on bought-in services is £771 a pupil, against a typical £370 for similar schools. What's behind that?
- Spending on teachers is £6,011 a pupil, against a typical £3,583 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 St Paul's Nursery School · All York school finances