Dorking Nursery School: school finances
Large reserves
Holds £265k in reserve, 20% of a year's income.
Latest full year 2025-26, as a council-run school (CFR return, April–March). Surrey · 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 | £1.2m | £1.1m | +£39k | £174k | 63 |
2019-20 | £1.2m | £1.2m | -£44k | £131k | 66 |
2020-21 | £1.2m | £1.2m | +£8k | £139k | 83 |
2021-22 | £1.3m | £1.2m | +£49k | £189k | 84 |
2022-23 | £1.4m | £1.3m | +£25k | £214k | 76 |
2023-24 | £1.5m | £1.5m | +£13k | £227k | 73 |
2024-25 | £1.3m | £1.3m | +£92k | £319k | 76 |
2025-26 | £1.3m | £1.4m | -£55k | £265k | 68 |
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 53% of them. It spends £20,464 a pupil in total; similar schools typically spend £11,797.
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 | £4,630 | £3,027 | £2,406–£4,197 |
Support staff (e.g. TAs) | £9,939 | £5,256 | £4,005–£6,507 |
Supply staff | £57 | £102 | £46–£315 |
Admin and clerical | £1,815 | £972 | £688–£1,178 |
Premises | £1,202 | £723 | £545–£1,083 |
Energy | £275 | £168 | £111–£250 |
Learning resources & ICT | £370 | £320 | £168–£478 |
Bought-in services | £341 | £336 | £211–£559 |
Compare side by side with the 3 most similar schools
Which schools are these?
- Hirst Wood Nursery School Large reserves
- Chertsey Nursery School Large reserves
- Washwood Heath Nursery School In deficit
- Strong Close Nursery School Large reserves
- Ashfield Nursery School Large reserves
- Bushbury Nursery School Large reserves
- Sandy Lane Nursery and Forest School Large reserves
- Highfield Nursery School Large reserves
- Freshfield Nursery School Healthy
- The Orchards Nursery School Large reserves
- Newburn Manor Nursery School Large reserves
- Everton Nursery School and Family Centre Healthy
Where the money comes from, 2025-26
| Source | Amount | Per pupil |
|---|---|---|
Government grants | £1.2m | £17,856 |
SEN funding (part of grants) | £11k | £164 |
Self-generated (lettings, catering, donations) | £124k | £1,809 |
Money raised by parents
FRIENDS OF DORKING NURSERY SCHOOL AND CHILDREN'S CENTRE (charity 1063098, Registered) raised £3k in its latest year.
| Year ending | Income | Spending |
|---|---|---|
2026-08 | £3k | £780 |
2025-08 | £6k | £8k |
2024-08 | £5k | £10k |
2023-08 | £4k | £4k |
2022-08 | £8k | £6k |
Matched to this school by name and postcode from the Charity Commission register. Parent associations' money isn't in the school's accounts above.
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 support staff (e.g. tas) is £9,939 a pupil, against a typical £5,256 for similar schools. What's behind that?
- Spending on admin and clerical is £1,815 a pupil, against a typical £972 for similar schools. What's behind that?
- Spending on premises is £1,202 a pupil, against a typical £723 for similar schools. What's behind that?
- Spending on energy is £275 a pupil, against a typical £168 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 Dorking Nursery School · All Surrey school finances