With school budgets under more pressure than ever, community lettings have emerged as one of the most practical ways for schools to generate meaningful, recurring revenue — without any upfront cost or additional workload for staff.

But how much can a school realistically earn? The answer depends on your facilities, your location, and who manages the process. Here's what the numbers actually look like in 2025.

What affects lettings income?

The key variables are facility type, peak demand hours, and how well your venue is marketed to local hirers. A school with a sports hall, all-weather pitch, and dance studio in a high-density area can consistently outperform one with the same facilities in a rural setting.

That said, location is only one factor. The biggest driver of income is occupancy rate — how many of your available hours are actually booked. Schools managing their own lettings typically see 30–50% occupancy. Schools managed by PSL typically achieve 65–85%.

Realistic income by facility type

• Sports Hall — £18–£35 per hour. High demand from football clubs, martial arts, gymnastics, badminton, and fitness groups.
• All-Weather Pitch (3G/Astroturf) — £40–£80 per hour. Consistently the highest-earning facility. Football and cricket dominate.
• Classroom / Meeting Room — £12–£25 per hour. Tuition centres, community groups, faith organisations.
• School Hall — £20–£45 per hour. Events, performances, large fitness classes.
• Dance / Drama Studio — £15–£30 per hour. Dance schools, yoga, pilates, theatre groups.

What do PSL partner schools typically earn?

Our partner schools earn between £15,000 and £60,000 per year in school share after staffing costs. The average across our current portfolio sits at approximately £28,000 per year.

That figure represents the school's 70% share — after PSL has deducted staffing costs for our DBS-checked site staff who run every session on the school's behalf.

Zero cost to the school

One of the most important aspects of the PSL model is that schools never pay anything upfront. We invest in marketing, booking technology, staff recruitment, DBS checks, and insurance. Our income comes entirely from our share of the lettings revenue — so we only earn when the school earns.

Ready to find out what your school could earn?

We offer a free, no-obligation facility assessment for any school in England. We'll visit your site, review your facilities, and present a tailored financial projection based on real local demand data.

The UK has a physical activity crisis. NHS data shows that over a third of adults in England are not meeting the recommended levels of weekly exercise — and the situation is worse in lower-income communities where access to affordable sport is most limited.

Yet across the country, millions of square metres of high-quality sporting facilities sit empty every evening, weekend, and school holiday. Sports halls, all-weather pitches, dance studios, and gymnasiums — locked behind school gates and unavailable to the communities that built and fund them.

The scale of the problem

Research published by Sport England estimates that 39% of school sport facilities in England have no community access outside of school hours. That's not because schools don't want to open up — it's because managing community lettings is complex, time-consuming, and carries real safeguarding and insurance risk.

Most schools simply don't have the staff, systems, or expertise to run a safe and profitable lettings programme. So the facilities stay locked, the community misses out, and the school misses a significant revenue opportunity.

The community impact of open schools

When PSL opens a school's facilities to the community, the results go far beyond revenue. Local football clubs gain affordable training venues. Young people have safe, supervised spaces to be active after school. Faith groups, dance schools, and fitness instructors can run sessions without paying commercial gym rates.

Our partner schools regularly tell us that community lettings have changed their relationship with the local area. Parents who use the facilities become stronger advocates for the school. The school is no longer just a building that closes at 3:30pm — it becomes a genuine community hub.

Safeguarding first

One of the most common concerns schools raise is safeguarding. Who's on site? Are hirers vetted? What happens if something goes wrong?

Every PSL site is staffed by our own DBS-checked site managers. We run every session, manage every hirer, and carry our own public liability insurance. Schools never have to worry about who's on their premises — because our team is always there.

The solution already exists

Schools don't need to build new facilities. They don't need to hire new staff or invest in new technology. The solution already exists — it just needs unlocking. PSL provides everything required to turn idle facilities into thriving community spaces, at zero cost to the school.

If your school has facilities sitting empty outside of school hours, we'd love to talk.

More schools than ever are exploring managed lettings as a way to generate income. And with that growth has come a wider range of providers — from national operators to local brokers — all promising to unlock the value of your facilities.

But not all lettings providers are equal. The wrong partnership can expose your school to safeguarding risk, financial disappointment, and operational headaches. Here are the seven questions every school should ask before signing an agreement.

1. Who actually staffs the sessions?

Some providers act as booking agents only — they take a commission and leave you to manage the site. A fully managed provider like PSL employs its own DBS-checked site staff who are present for every session. Ask specifically: who is on my site during lettings, and who employs them?

2. What insurance do they carry?

Your school's insurance almost certainly does not cover community lettings. Your provider should carry their own public liability insurance — and you should ask to see the certificate. If they can't produce one, walk away.

3. How transparent is the financial reporting?

You should receive a clear monthly breakdown of gross income, staffing costs, and your school's share. PSL provides every partner school with access to a dedicated online portal showing real-time financial data, facility usage, and payment history.

4. What is the split — and what's deducted before it's applied?

A headline split of 70/30 sounds straightforward, but some providers deduct marketing costs, platform fees, or admin charges before calculating the split. Always ask: what is the school's share of gross income after all deductions?

5. How do they handle safeguarding?

Every hirer using your premises should be vetted. Ask how the provider screens organisations, what their policy is on hiring to groups that work with children, and how incidents are reported. Safeguarding cannot be an afterthought.

6. What happens to your regular hirers if you end the contract?

Some providers build their own relationships with your hirers and take them with them if the contract ends. PSL's model ensures that all hirer relationships belong to the school — we're transparent about who books with you and why.

7. What does the onboarding process look like?

A serious provider will have a structured onboarding process. At PSL, our 4–6 week onboarding covers system setup, hirer migration, staff recruitment, DBS checking, and a full launch plan. If a provider can't explain how they'll set you up for success, that's a red flag.

The bottom line

The best lettings partnerships are built on transparency, professionalism, and a genuine commitment to the school's interests. Ask the hard questions — and if the answers don't satisfy you, keep looking.