ARK SCHOOLS: academy finances
48 academies with a full-year return, 12 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: 7 of 36 academies in deficit
- 2019-20: 10 of 37 academies in deficit
- 2020-21: 10 of 38 academies in deficit
- 2021-22: 13 of 39 academies in deficit
- 2022-23: 13 of 39 academies in deficit
- 2023-24: 15 of 39 academies in deficit
- 2024-25: 12 of 39 academies in deficit
in 2025-26 prices (HM Treasury GDP deflator, October 2026)
In 2023-24 the trust spent £600 per pupil centrally (cash), money that is not counted in its academies' own spending, or £634 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 | -£1.5m -£5,253 per pupil | £2.9m £10,367 per pupil | £3.0m £10,569 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£5.9m -£4,128 per pupil | £12.4m £8,647 per pupil | £12.8m £8,929 per pupil | Had a registered PTA until 2007 | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£600k -£2,969 per pupil | £2.0m £9,723 per pupil | £1.9m £9,649 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£1.6m -£1,992 per pupil | £8.7m £11,116 per pupil | £9.1m £11,504 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £12k £15 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£1.2m -£1,342 per pupil | £8.6m £9,424 per pupil | £8.8m £9,612 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £10k £11 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£344k -£830 per pupil | £3.0m £7,188 per pupil | £3.0m £7,169 per pupil | £31k £74 per pupil | £74 | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£154k -£913 per pupil | £1.7m £9,822 per pupil | £1.6m £9,555 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£380k -£633 per pupil | £4.3m £7,198 per pupil | £4.3m £7,150 per pupil | Had a registered PTA until 2011 | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£547k -£711 per pupil | £6.8m £8,891 per pupil | £7.2m £9,338 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£547k -£698 per pupil | £7.1m £9,080 per pupil | £7.2m £9,217 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£122k -£591 per pupil | £1.9m £9,174 per pupil | £1.8m £8,841 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£361k -£1,025 per pupil | £5.1m £14,452 per pupil | £5.6m £15,977 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £400k £1,136 per pupil | ||
Heading for deficit | +£171k +£397 per pupil | £3.4m £7,968 per pupil | £3.5m £8,102 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £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