Carlton Hill Primary School: school finances
In deficit
In deficit by £73k, 4% 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). Brighton and Hove · Primary · Community 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 | £1.2m | £1.2m | -£13k | £19k | 212 |
2019-20 | £1.2m | £1.2m | -£25k | -£6k | 215 |
2020-21 | £1.3m | £1.3m | +£4k | -£2k | 214 |
2021-22 | £1.3m | £1.3m | -£20k | -£22k | 208 |
2022-23 | £1.4m | £1.4m | -£9k | -£31k | 214 |
2023-24 | £1.4m | £1.5m | -£78k | -£109k | 212 |
2024-25 | £1.6m | £1.6m | +£1k | -£108k | 215 |
2025-26 | £1.7m | £1.6m | +£35k | -£73k | 216 |
Compared with similar schools
Similar schools are the 30 primary 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 7% of them. It spends £7,589 a pupil in total; similar schools typically spend £7,640.
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 | £3,285 | £3,367 | £3,173–£3,785 |
Support staff (e.g. TAs) | £1,873 | £1,516 | £1,271–£1,936 |
Supply staff | £319 | £116 | £65–£260 |
Admin and clerical | £420 | £396 | £335–£473 |
Premises | £471 | £434 | £332–£574 |
Energy | £97 | £109 | £81–£134 |
Learning resources & ICT | £157 | £324 | £258–£443 |
Bought-in services | £402 | £242 | £109–£349 |
Compare side by side with the 3 most similar schools
Which schools are these?
- Maryvale Catholic Primary School Healthy
- Church Lane Primary School & Nursery Healthy
- Outwood Primary Academy Newstead Green Large reserves
- Hallam Fields Junior School Heading for deficit
- Bredbury Green Primary School In deficit
- St Aidan's Catholic Primary School, Wallsend Heading for deficit
- Linden Road Academy and Hearing Impaired Base Large reserves
- St Oswald's Church of England Primary School Large reserves
- St Mark's Catholic Primary School, Westerhope Large reserves
- Oakfield Primary and Moderate Learning Difficulties Resource Provision Tight
- Christ Church CofE Primary Academy Healthy
- Hillbourne Primary School In deficit
Where the money comes from, 2025-26
| Source | Amount | Per pupil |
|---|---|---|
Government grants | £1.6m | £7,414 |
SEN funding (part of grants) | £76k | £350 |
Pupil premium (part of grants) | £128k | £594 |
Self-generated (lettings, catering, donations) | £73k | £336 |
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?
- Spending on supply staff is £319 a pupil, against a typical £116 for similar schools. What's behind that?
- Spending on bought-in services is £402 a pupil, against a typical £242 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 Carlton Hill Primary School · All Brighton and Hove school finances