ANGLIAN LEARNING: academy finances
22 academies with a full-year return, 1 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 7 academies in deficit
- 2019-20: 1 of 13 academies in deficit
- 2020-21: 0 of 13 academies in deficit
- 2021-22: 2 of 14 academies in deficit
- 2022-23: 3 of 15 academies in deficit
- 2023-24: 0 of 16 academies in deficit
- 2024-25: 0 of 18 academies in deficit
in 2025-26 prices (HM Treasury GDP deflator, October 2026)
In 2023-24 the trust spent £447 per pupil centrally (cash), money that is not counted in its academies' own spending, or £472 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 | -£224k -£610 per pupil | £2.4m £6,602 per pupil | £2.6m £7,155 per pupil | £8k £21 per pupil | £21 | £3k £8 per pupil | ||
Heading for deficit | +£54k +£95 per pupil | £4.2m £7,297 per pupil | £4.4m £7,740 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £92k £162 per pupil | ||
Heading for deficit | +£29k +£190 per pupil | £1.2m £8,000 per pupil | £1.4m £9,653 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £8k £53 per pupil | ||
Heading for deficit | +£37k +£190 per pupil | £1.3m £6,791 per pupil | £1.4m £7,143 per pupil | Had a registered PTA until 2009 | — | £4k £20 per pupil | ||
Heading for deficit | +£44k +£190 per pupil | £1.4m £5,863 per pupil | £1.5m £6,595 per pupil | £9k £40 per pupil | £40 | £19k £81 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£6k +£190 per pupil | £466k £15,533 per pupil | £521k £17,367 per pupil | £170 £6 per pupil | £6 | £6k £200 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£19k +£95 per pupil | £1.2m £5,801 per pupil | £1.2m £6,119 per pupil | Had a registered PTA until 2011 | — | £12k £60 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£153k +£190 per pupil | £5.9m £7,319 per pupil | £6.1m £7,624 per pupil | £12k £15 per pupil | £15 | £302k £376 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£26k +£190 per pupil | £1.0m £7,610 per pupil | £975k £7,169 per pupil | £4k £28 per pupil | £28 | £14k £103 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£241k +£190 per pupil | £9.0m £7,126 per pupil | £9.2m £7,289 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £235k £185 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£279k +£190 per pupil | £10.3m £7,027 per pupil | £10.5m £7,162 per pupil | £9k £6 per pupil | £6 | £350k £239 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£227k +£190 per pupil | £8.1m £6,786 per pupil | £9.2m £7,678 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £650k £544 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£125k +£190 per pupil | £4.7m £7,131 per pupil | £5.0m £7,541 per pupil | £8k £12 per pupil | £12 | £93k £141 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