Castle Vale Nursery School: school finances
Heading for deficit
Has spent more than it received for 3 years running; at that rate its £175k reserve runs out in about 3 years.
Latest full year 2025-26, as a council-run school (CFR return, April–March). Birmingham · 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 | £685k | £696k | -£11k | £35k | 95 |
2019-20 | £829k | £751k | +£78k | £114k | 106 |
2020-21 | £953k | £750k | +£203k | £317k | 102 |
2021-22 | £909k | £898k | +£11k | £328k | 96 |
2022-23 | £1.1m | £1.1m | +£28k | £356k | 99 |
2023-24 | £1.2m | £1.3m | -£101k | £255k | 95 |
2024-25 | £1.3m | £1.3m | -£58k | £197k | 100 |
2025-26 | £1.3m | £1.3m | -£22k | £175k | 92 |
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 47% of them. It spends £14,138 a pupil in total; similar schools typically spend £13,378.
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 | £2,978 | £2,863 | £2,398–£3,551 |
Support staff (e.g. TAs) | £7,278 | £5,285 | £3,176–£6,591 |
Supply staff | £127 | £71 | £0–£384 |
Admin and clerical | £800 | £894 | £698–£1,071 |
Premises | £291 | £942 | £512–£1,495 |
Energy | £62 | £145 | £108–£190 |
Learning resources & ICT | £422 | £313 | £184–£506 |
Bought-in services | £1,524 | £281 | £204–£907 |
Compare side by side with the 3 most similar schools
Which schools are these?
- Chapel Street Nursery School Large reserves
- Allens Croft Nursery School In deficit
- Knowle West Early Years Centre In deficit
- Shenley Fields Nursery School Healthy
- The Gill Blowers Nursery School Large reserves
- Low Hill Nursery School In deficit
- The Wharf Nursery School Large reserves
- Pastures Way Nursery School Large reserves
- Appletree Nursery School Healthy
- Blagdon Nursery School Large reserves
- Oxhey Nursery School Large reserves
- Grace Owen Nursery School Large reserves
Where the money comes from, 2025-26
| Source | Amount | Per pupil |
|---|---|---|
Government grants | £1.1m | £12,058 |
SEN funding (part of grants) | £79k | £860 |
Self-generated (lettings, catering, donations) | £169k | £1,842 |
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?
- Spending on bought-in services is £1,524 a pupil, against a typical £281 for similar schools. What's behind that?
- Spending on support staff (e.g. tas) is £7,278 a pupil, against a typical £5,285 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 Castle Vale Nursery School · All Birmingham school finances