Pennywell Early Years Centre: school finances
Large reserves
Holds £519k in reserve, 38% of a year's income.
Latest full year 2025-26, as a council-run school (CFR return, April–March). Sunderland · 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 | £755k | £756k | -£1k | £341k | 94 |
2019-20 | £796k | £973k | -£177k | £164k | 86 |
2020-21 | £801k | £781k | +£20k | £183k | 78 |
2021-22 | £891k | £824k | +£67k | £251k | 86 |
2022-23 | £883k | £892k | -£9k | £241k | 80 |
2023-24 | £969k | £927k | +£43k | £284k | 84 |
2024-25 | £1.1m | £1.0m | +£112k | £396k | 124 |
2025-26 | £1.4m | £1.2m | +£122k | £519k | 116 |
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 90% of them. It spends £10,623 a pupil in total; similar schools typically spend £10,783.
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 | £1,834 | £2,504 | £1,888–£3,135 |
Support staff (e.g. TAs) | £5,798 | £4,496 | £3,361–£6,416 |
Supply staff | £121 | £77 | £3–£349 |
Admin and clerical | £880 | £595 | £469–£791 |
Premises | £631 | £738 | £506–£1,024 |
Energy | £64 | £129 | £81–£163 |
Learning resources & ICT | £497 | £184 | £154–£356 |
Bought-in services | £277 | £236 | £140–£703 |
Compare side by side with the 3 most similar schools
Which schools are these?
- Baylis Court Nursery School Large reserves
- Sir James Knott Memorial Nursery School Large reserves
- Bognor Regis Nursery School In deficit
- Ludwick Nursery School Large reserves
- Caverstede Nursery School Heading for deficit
- Grosvenor Nursery School and Day Care Centre Large reserves
- Ellergreen Nursery School and Childcare Centre Healthy
- Emneth Nursery School Large reserves
- Hardmoor Nursery & Early Years Centre - Part of the Learning Federation Partnership of Schools In deficit
- Lanterns Nursery School and Extended Services Healthy
- York Road Nursery School Large reserves
- Houghton Le Spring Nursery School Large reserves
Where the money comes from, 2025-26
| Source | Amount | Per pupil |
|---|---|---|
Government grants | £1.3m | £10,925 |
SEN funding (part of grants) | £7k | £61 |
Self-generated (lettings, catering, donations) | £87k | £751 |
Questions to ask the school
Useful for parents, governors and PTA committees.
- What are the reserves set aside for, and when will they be spent on current pupils?
- Could any of the surplus be clawed back under the council's scheme for financing schools?
- Spending on learning resources & ict is £497 a pupil, against a typical £184 for similar schools. What's behind that?
- Spending on admin and clerical is £880 a pupil, against a typical £595 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.
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