Birchfield Nursery School: school finances
Large reserves
Holds £104k in reserve, 14% of a year's income.
Latest full year 2025-26, as a council-run school (CFR return, April–March). Halton · 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 | £426k | £400k | +£26k | £55k | 70 |
2019-20 | £420k | £445k | -£25k | £30k | 106 |
2020-21 | £424k | £439k | -£16k | £14k | 100 |
2021-22 | £476k | £480k | -£3k | £11k | 94 |
2022-23 | £468k | £475k | -£7k | £4k | 90 |
2023-24 | £607k | £558k | +£50k | £54k | 82 |
2024-25 | £676k | £650k | +£27k | £80k | 78 |
2025-26 | £737k | £713k | +£24k | £104k | 77 |
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 23% of them. It spends £9,258 a pupil in total; similar schools typically spend £11,200.
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 | £3,191 | £2,507 | £2,299–£2,821 |
Support staff (e.g. TAs) | £2,291 | £4,658 | £3,710–£5,695 |
Supply staff | £300 | £119 | £60–£396 |
Admin and clerical | £609 | £701 | £518–£969 |
Premises | £1,032 | £791 | £528–£905 |
Energy | £97 | £117 | £91–£160 |
Learning resources & ICT | £209 | £332 | £225–£445 |
Bought-in services | £619 | £342 | £239–£954 |
Compare side by side with the 3 most similar schools
Which schools are these?
- Wingate Community Nursery School Large reserves
- Highfield Nursery School Healthy
- Rosemary Lane Nursery School Large reserves
- Alumwell Nursery School Large reserves
- Hetton Lyons Nursery School Large reserves
- The Castle Nursery School Large reserves
- Peartree Way Nursery School Large reserves
- The Lincoln St Giles Nursery School Large reserves
- Tanglewood Nursery School Large reserves
- Clervaux Nursery School In deficit
- Victoria Park Nursery School Large reserves
- Flatts Nursery School Large reserves
Where the money comes from, 2025-26
| Source | Amount | Per pupil |
|---|---|---|
Government grants | £671k | £8,720 |
Self-generated (lettings, catering, donations) | £65k | £850 |
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 premises is £1,032 a pupil, against a typical £791 for similar schools. What's behind that?
- Spending on teachers is £3,191 a pupil, against a typical £2,507 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 Birchfield Nursery School · All Halton school finances