ASPIRE ACADEMY TRUST: academy finances
38 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: 0 of 27 academies in deficit
- 2019-20: 0 of 28 academies in deficit
- 2020-21: 0 of 29 academies in deficit
- 2021-22: 0 of 29 academies in deficit
- 2022-23: 0 of 36 academies in deficit
- 2023-24: 0 of 36 academies in deficit
- 2024-25: 0 of 37 academies in deficit
in 2025-26 prices (HM Treasury GDP deflator, October 2026)
In 2023-24 the trust spent £850 per pupil centrally (cash), money that is not counted in its academies' own spending, or £898 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Heading for deficit | +£11k +£290 per pupil | £427k £11,091 per pupil | £446k £11,584 per pupil | Had a registered PTA until 2009 | — | £1k £26 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£6k +£290 per pupil | £291k £13,227 per pupil | £292k £13,273 per pupil | £4k £164 per pupil | £164 | £11k £500 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£8k +£330 per pupil | £344k £13,760 per pupil | £312k £12,480 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £3k £120 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£18k +£290 per pupil | £605k £10,000 per pupil | £571k £9,438 per pupil | £810 £11 per pupil | £11 | £3k £50 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£12k +£290 per pupil | £402k £9,349 per pupil | £398k £9,256 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £1k £23 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£68k +£290 per pupil | £2.2m £9,318 per pupil | £2.1m £9,026 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £2k £9 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£15k +£290 per pupil | £452k £8,692 per pupil | £462k £8,885 per pupil | £6k | — | £1k £19 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£20k +£290 per pupil | £557k £8,072 per pupil | £481k £6,971 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £1k £14 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£30k +£290 per pupil | £801k £7,777 per pupil | £763k £7,408 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £1k £10 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£68k +£303 per pupil | £1.8m £8,111 per pupil | £1.6m £7,262 per pupil | Had a registered PTA until 2018 | — | £4k £18 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£26k +£290 per pupil | £677k £7,693 per pupil | £651k £7,398 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£38k +£290 per pupil | £1.0m £7,623 per pupil | £850k £6,415 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£60k +£295 per pupil | £1.6m £7,725 per pupil | £1.4m £7,025 per pupil | £5k | — | £2k £10 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