Palace Wood Primary School: school finances
Healthy
Holds £116k in reserve, 4% of a year's income. It has spent more than it received for 2 years, so watch the trend.
Latest full year 2025-26, as a council-run school (CFR return, April–March). Kent · 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 | £1.7m | £1.7m | -£30k | £51k | 410 |
2019-20 | £1.9m | £1.9m | +£3k | £55k | 412 |
2020-21 | £2.0m | £2.0m | +£12k | £66k | 385 |
2021-22 | £2.2m | £2.1m | +£116k | £182k | 389 |
2022-23 | £2.3m | £2.3m | -£3k | £179k | 417 |
2023-24 | £2.5m | £2.4m | +£7k | £186k | 422 |
2024-25 | £2.7m | £2.7m | -£12k | £174k | 426 |
2025-26 | £2.7m | £2.7m | -£58k | £116k | 417 |
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 40% of them. It spends £6,590 a pupil in total; similar schools typically spend £6,256.
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 | £3,593 | £3,081 | £2,970–£3,228 |
Support staff (e.g. TAs) | £1,168 | £1,338 | £1,013–£1,535 |
Supply staff | £26 | £120 | £55–£183 |
Admin and clerical | £337 | £287 | £250–£361 |
Premises | £335 | £310 | £264–£388 |
Energy | £100 | £83 | £69–£104 |
Learning resources & ICT | £223 | £280 | £239–£358 |
Bought-in services | £128 | £137 | £98–£187 |
Compare side by side with the 3 most similar schools
Which schools are these?
- Woodmancote School Large reserves
- Forge Wood Primary School Large reserves
- St John Henry Newman Catholic VA Primary School In deficit
- Robert Le Kyng Primary School Healthy
- Our Lady and St Hubert's Catholic Primary School Large reserves
- Waltham Leas Primary Academy Heading for deficit
- The Catholic School of Saint Gregory the Great Healthy
- Holy Trinity CofE Primary School In deficit
- White Bridge Primary School Large reserves
- Slade Primary School and Attached Unit for Children with Hearing Impairment Heading for deficit
- Turnfurlong Junior School Healthy
- The Spalding St John the Baptist Church of England Primary School Healthy
Where the money comes from, 2025-26
| Source | Amount | Per pupil |
|---|---|---|
Government grants | £2.5m | £5,996 |
SEN funding (part of grants) | £133k | £318 |
Pupil premium (part of grants) | £118k | £282 |
Self-generated (lettings, catering, donations) | £191k | £457 |
Money raised by parents
FRIENDS OF PALACE WOOD INFANT SCHOOL (charity 1181700, Registered) raised £10k in its latest year.
| Year ending | Income | Spending |
|---|---|---|
2025-08 | £10k | £6k |
2024-08 | £15k | £12k |
2023-08 | £18k | £7k |
2022-08 | £13k | £5k |
2021-08 | £2k | £10k |
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.
- Spending on teachers is £3,593 a pupil, against a typical £3,081 for similar schools. What's behind that?
- How does the school decide what the money the parents' association raises is spent on?
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 Palace Wood Primary School · All Kent school finances