ADVANCE LEARNING PARTNERSHIP: academy finances
19 academies with a full-year return, 2 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.
- 2019-20: 0 of 5 academies in deficit
- 2020-21: 0 of 6 academies in deficit
- 2021-22: 0 of 7 academies in deficit
- 2022-23: 0 of 11 academies in deficit
- 2023-24: 3 of 17 academies in deficit
- 2024-25: 2 of 19 academies in deficit
in 2025-26 prices (HM Treasury GDP deflator, October 2026)
In 2023-24 the trust spent £83 per pupil centrally (cash), money that is not counted in its academies' own spending, or £88 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 | -£249k -£947 per pupil | £2.3m £8,610 per pupil | £2.5m £9,429 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£127k -£677 per pupil | £1.3m £6,770 per pupil | £1.4m £7,652 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Heading for deficit | +£548 +£5 per pupil | £967k £8,954 per pupil | £994k £9,204 per pupil | £0 £0 per pupil | £0 | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Heading for deficit | +£70k +£148 per pupil | £3.5m £7,515 per pupil | £4.0m £8,438 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£121k +£98 per pupil | £9.0m £7,330 per pupil | £9.4m £7,666 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£47k +£425 per pupil | £765k £6,892 per pupil | £790k £7,117 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£704k +£713 per pupil | £7.4m £7,451 per pupil | £7.7m £7,842 per pupil | Had a registered PTA until 2012 | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£582k +£781 per pupil | £5.8m £7,812 per pupil | £6.1m £8,208 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£105k +£875 per pupil | £1.0m £8,658 per pupil | £1.0m £8,575 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£819k +£1,278 per pupil | £6.2m £9,699 per pupil | £6.2m £9,699 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£981k +£1,520 per pupil | £6.0m £9,234 per pupil | £5.7m £8,788 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£1.4m +£1,562 per pupil | £7.7m £8,668 per pupil | £7.7m £8,738 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£1.0m +£1,697 per pupil | £5.7m £9,310 per pupil | £6.0m £9,818 per pupil | Registered, no income filed yet | — | £0 £0 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