Castleway Nursery School: school finances
In deficit
In deficit by £333k, 62% of a year's income: it has spent more over the years than it received.
Latest full year 2025-26, as a council-run school (CFR return, April–March). Wirral · 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 | £1.1m | £1.1m | -£32k | £25k | 78 |
2019-20 | £1.0m | £1.0m | -£18k | £7k | 62 |
2020-21 | £828k | £956k | -£128k | -£121k | 60 |
2021-22 | £941k | £917k | +£25k | -£96k | 62 |
2022-23 | £505k | £650k | -£144k | -£240k | 42 |
2023-24 | £415k | £519k | -£104k | -£345k | 30 |
2024-25 | £460k | £464k | -£3k | -£348k | 37 |
2025-26 | £535k | £520k | +£15k | -£333k | 31 |
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 10% of them. It spends £16,782 a pupil in total; similar schools typically spend £15,757.
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 | £3,691 | £4,334 | £3,530–£5,443 |
Support staff (e.g. TAs) | £8,758 | £5,111 | £3,486–£7,120 |
Supply staff | £0 | £185 | £60–£508 |
Admin and clerical | £1,441 | £1,040 | £853–£1,315 |
Premises | £525 | £981 | £707–£1,301 |
Energy | £222 | £225 | £160–£277 |
Learning resources & ICT | £347 | £353 | £291–£517 |
Bought-in services | £815 | £749 | £317–£1,523 |
Compare side by side with the 3 most similar schools
Which schools are these?
- Pinxton Nursery School Large reserves
- Hadfield Nursery School In deficit
- Selly Oak Nursery School In deficit
- Somerville Nursery School Large reserves
- Camborne Nursery School Large reserves
- Highters Heath Nursery School Large reserves
- Sketchley Hill Menphys Nursery School, Burbage In deficit
- Brougham Street Nursery School Large reserves
- Flagg Nursery School Healthy
- Whitehills Nursery School Large reserves
- Etherley Lane Nursery School Large reserves
- Ripley Nursery School Large reserves
Where the money comes from, 2025-26
| Source | Amount | Per pupil |
|---|---|---|
Government grants | £526k | £16,970 |
SEN funding (part of grants) | £2k | £78 |
Self-generated (lettings, catering, donations) | £9k | £288 |
Questions to ask the school
Useful for parents, governors and PTA committees.
- Is there a deficit recovery plan agreed with the council, and when does the school expect to be back in balance?
- What has been cut or changed to close the gap, and how does that affect classes and support staff?
- Pupil numbers have fallen 60% since 2018-19. How is the school planning for fewer pupils, and the funding that goes with them?
- Spending on support staff (e.g. tas) is £8,758 a pupil, against a typical £5,111 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 Castleway Nursery School · All Wirral school finances