ASSET EDUCATION: academy finances
14 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 10 academies in deficit
- 2019-20: 0 of 13 academies in deficit
- 2020-21: 0 of 14 academies in deficit
- 2021-22: 0 of 14 academies in deficit
- 2022-23: 0 of 14 academies in deficit
- 2023-24: 0 of 14 academies in deficit
- 2024-25: 0 of 14 academies in deficit
in 2025-26 prices (HM Treasury GDP deflator, October 2026)
In 2023-24 the trust spent £587 per pupil centrally (cash), money that is not counted in its academies' own spending, or £620 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Healthy | +£88k +£201 per pupil | £2.8m £6,317 per pupil | £2.7m £6,046 per pupil | £6k £14 per pupil | £14 | £5k £11 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£71k +£188 per pupil | £2.3m £6,040 per pupil | £2.3m £6,050 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £2k £5 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£34k +£350 per pupil | £869k £9,052 per pupil | £790k £8,229 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £1k £10 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£74k +£367 per pupil | £1.2m £6,173 per pupil | £1.3m £6,252 per pupil | £6k | — | £3k £15 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£108k +£487 per pupil | £1.7m £7,760 per pupil | £1.6m £7,186 per pupil | £3k | — | £1k £5 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£121k +£400 per pupil | £1.8m £6,070 per pupil | £1.8m £5,970 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £8k £26 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£42k +£563 per pupil | £595k £7,933 per pupil | £549k £7,320 per pupil | £7k | — | £4k £53 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£161k +£562 per pupil | £2.3m £7,944 per pupil | £2.1m £7,399 per pupil | £3k | — | £2k £7 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£187k +£423 per pupil | £2.5m £5,571 per pupil | £2.4m £5,455 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £11k £25 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£69k +£772 per pupil | £660k £7,333 per pupil | £605k £6,722 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £6k £67 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£97k +£828 per pupil | £830k £7,094 per pupil | £758k £6,479 per pupil | Had a registered PTA until 2019 | — | £1k £9 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£87k +£858 per pupil | £707k £7,000 per pupil | £620k £6,139 per pupil | £8k £77 per pupil | £77 | £5k £50 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£414k +£932 per pupil | £3.0m £6,668 per pupil | £2.6m £5,822 per pupil | £10k £22 per pupil | £22 | £4k £9 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