AUTHENTIC EDUCATION GROUP LIMITED: academy finances
13 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: 3 of 11 academies in deficit
- 2019-20: 4 of 13 academies in deficit
- 2020-21: 4 of 13 academies in deficit
- 2021-22: 4 of 13 academies in deficit
- 2022-23: 4 of 13 academies in deficit
- 2023-24: 4 of 13 academies in deficit
- 2024-25: 0 of 13 academies in deficit
in 2025-26 prices (HM Treasury GDP deflator, October 2026)
In 2023-24 the trust spent £558 per pupil centrally (cash), money that is not counted in its academies' own spending, or £590 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 | +£624k +£963 per pupil | £4.4m £6,809 per pupil | £4.8m £7,443 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Heading for deficit | +£444k +£963 per pupil | £2.6m £5,653 per pupil | £3.3m £7,115 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £26k £56 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£107k +£963 per pupil | £4.4m £39,856 per pupil | £4.1m £36,748 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£139k +£963 per pupil | £5.1m £35,312 per pupil | £4.9m £33,861 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £1k £7 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£163k +£963 per pupil | £1.3m £7,799 per pupil | £1.2m £7,012 per pupil | Had a registered PTA until 2017 | — | £2k £12 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£675k +£963 per pupil | £5.1m £7,262 per pupil | £5.9m £8,352 per pupil | £0 £0 per pupil | £0 | £275k £392 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£339k +£963 per pupil | £2.6m £7,441 per pupil | £2.5m £7,070 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £2k £6 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£810k +£963 per pupil | £6.1m £7,215 per pupil | £6.3m £7,528 per pupil | Had a registered PTA until 2012 | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£190k +£963 per pupil | £1.4m £7,355 per pupil | £1.5m £7,650 per pupil | Had a registered PTA until 2006 | — | £5k £25 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£960k +£963 per pupil | £6.2m £6,262 per pupil | £6.9m £6,932 per pupil | Had a registered PTA until 2009 | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£405k +£963 per pupil | £2.4m £5,694 per pupil | £2.3m £5,561 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£580k +£963 per pupil | £3.2m £5,261 per pupil | £3.1m £5,124 per pupil | £3k £4 per pupil | £4 | £8k £13 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£466k +£963 per pupil | £2.2m £4,463 per pupil | £2.3m £4,717 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £1k £2 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