ACORN EDUCATION TRUST: academy finances
20 academies with a full-year return, 0 of them in deficit at their latest return. A trust can move money between its academies, so an academy shown in deficit may be supported by the trust as a whole.
Most of a school's money pays for staff, so deficits usually build up when pay and other costs rise faster than funding, or when pupil numbers fall and the money that comes with each pupil goes too. What helps: a recovery plan agreed with the council or trust that brings the budget back into balance over a few years, regular forecasts that governors check, and early conversations about pupil numbers and special needs funding.
- 2018-19: 1 of 10 academies in deficit
- 2019-20: 0 of 12 academies in deficit
- 2020-21: 0 of 12 academies in deficit
- 2021-22: 0 of 17 academies in deficit
- 2022-23: 0 of 17 academies in deficit
- 2023-24: 0 of 17 academies in deficit
- 2024-25: 0 of 19 academies in deficit
in 2025-26 prices (HM Treasury GDP deflator, October 2026)
In 2023-24 the trust spent £918 per pupil centrally (cash), money that is not counted in its academies' own spending, or £970 in 2025–26 prices. The IFS average for all trusts in 2023-24 was £510 per pupil, in 2025–26 prices (IFS, p.56).
Figures are each school's latest full-year return, total with the per-pupil figure beside it. PTA income is the school's share of its registered parents' association's latest return, in the school year that return falls in. Where no registered parents' association was found, the school may still have one: charities with an income of £5,000 or less need not register.
| School | Status | Reserve | Government funding | Spending | PTA income | PTA per pupil | Donations | Reserve per pupil trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Large reserves | +£42k +£1,038 per pupil | £455k £11,375 per pupil | £418k £10,450 per pupil | £0 £0 per pupil | £0 | £3k £75 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£300k +£867 per pupil | £3.0m £8,653 per pupil | £3.0m £8,806 per pupil | £2k | — | £38k £110 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£59k +£1,038 per pupil | £572k £10,035 per pupil | £474k £8,316 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £12k £211 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£99k +£1,038 per pupil | £918k £9,663 per pupil | £825k £8,684 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £5k £53 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£71k +£1,038 per pupil | £634k £9,324 per pupil | £567k £8,338 per pupil | £4k | — | £16k £235 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£539k +£1,038 per pupil | £4.4m £8,536 per pupil | £4.1m £7,977 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £56k £108 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£84k +£1,038 per pupil | £653k £8,062 per pupil | £614k £7,580 per pupil | £16k | — | £7k £86 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£1.5m +£1,038 per pupil | £11.3m £7,996 per pupil | £10.5m £7,456 per pupil | Had a registered PTA until 2012 | — | £221k £157 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£1.2m +£1,038 per pupil | £8.7m £7,835 per pupil | £8.0m £7,234 per pupil | £0 £0 per pupil matched with lower confidence | £0 | £114k £103 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£245k +£1,038 per pupil | £1.8m £7,470 per pupil | £1.6m £6,695 per pupil | £11k | — | £16k £68 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£112k +£1,038 per pupil | £824k £7,630 per pupil | £698k £6,463 per pupil | £4k £34 per pupil | £34 | £5k £46 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£273k +£1,038 per pupil | £2.0m £7,532 per pupil | £1.8m £6,916 per pupil | £300 £1 per pupil matched with lower confidence | £1 | £16k £61 per pupil |
Sources: DfE Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool data (CFR returns for council-run schools, April to March; academy accounts returns, September to August), Get Information about Schools, DfE section 251 outturn (DSG balances), the Charity Commission register and the IFS annual report on education spending in England 2025–26 (IFS figures in 2025–26 prices, November 2025 deflator). Open Government Licence v3.0. Check at source: DfE benchmarking for this trust. How these figures are worked out