AD ASTRA ACADEMY TRUST: academy finances
10 academies with a full-year return, 5 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: 0 of 5 academies in deficit
- 2019-20: 0 of 6 academies in deficit
- 2020-21: 0 of 7 academies in deficit
- 2021-22: 0 of 8 academies in deficit
- 2022-23: 1 of 8 academies in deficit
- 2023-24: 3 of 8 academies in deficit
- 2024-25: 5 of 10 academies in deficit
in 2025-26 prices (HM Treasury GDP deflator, October 2026)
In 2023-24 the trust spent £416 per pupil centrally (cash), money that is not counted in its academies' own spending, or £440 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
In deficit | -£114k -£841 per pupil | £965k £7,096 per pupil | £1.0m £7,684 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£153k -£491 per pupil | £2.1m £6,783 per pupil | £2.2m £6,953 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £9k £29 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£131k -£396 per pupil | £1.8m £5,568 per pupil | £1.8m £5,562 per pupil | £2k £7 per pupil | £7 | £1k £3 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£89k -£304 per pupil | £1.7m £5,777 per pupil | £1.7m £5,921 per pupil | £6k £21 per pupil | £21 | -£1k -£3 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£32k -£203 per pupil | £1.2m £7,678 per pupil | £1.3m £7,912 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£113k +£353 per pupil | £2.5m £7,853 per pupil | £2.4m £7,618 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £1k £3 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£305k +£1,140 per pupil | £3.1m £11,488 per pupil | £3.1m £11,443 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £5k £19 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£398k +£977 per pupil | £3.1m £7,612 per pupil | £3.0m £7,244 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £3k £7 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£858k +£1,294 per pupil | £5.2m £7,890 per pupil | £4.6m £6,973 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £2k £3 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£594k +£1,373 per pupil | £3.3m £7,626 per pupil | £3.2m £7,351 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £7k £16 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