BEDFORDSHIRE SCHOOLS TRUST LIMITED: academy finances
11 academies with a full-year return, 3 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: 2 of 7 academies in deficit
- 2019-20: 0 of 9 academies in deficit
- 2020-21: 0 of 9 academies in deficit
- 2021-22: 1 of 10 academies in deficit
- 2022-23: 4 of 10 academies in deficit
- 2023-24: 4 of 10 academies in deficit
- 2024-25: 3 of 11 academies in deficit
in 2025-26 prices (HM Treasury GDP deflator, October 2026)
In 2023-24 the trust spent £576 per pupil centrally (cash), money that is not counted in its academies' own spending, or £609 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 | -£165k -£1,247 per pupil | £822k £6,227 per pupil | £750k £5,682 per pupil | £5k | — | £12k £91 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£243k -£1,130 per pupil | £1.3m £6,251 per pupil | £1.4m £6,487 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £13k £60 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£256k -£956 per pupil | £1.9m £7,063 per pupil | £2.0m £7,377 per pupil | £2k | — | £40k £149 per pupil | ||
Heading for deficit | +£159k +£553 per pupil | £1.6m £5,448 per pupil | £1.8m £6,212 per pupil | Had a registered PTA until 2011 | — | £38k £132 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£102k +£269 per pupil | £2.2m £5,799 per pupil | £2.1m £5,488 per pupil | £3k £7 per pupil | £7 | £22k £58 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£416k +£669 per pupil | £3.5m £5,548 per pupil | £3.9m £6,268 per pupil | £13k £22 per pupil | £22 | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£67k +£925 per pupil | £518k £7,194 per pupil | £476k £6,611 per pupil | £12k | — | £2k £28 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£1.9m +£1,124 per pupil | £12.2m £7,325 per pupil | £12.4m £7,456 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £710k £427 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£1.2m +£1,046 per pupil | £7.6m £6,706 per pupil | £7.3m £6,429 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £367k £324 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£1.4m +£1,590 per pupil | £6.0m £6,899 per pupil | £6.1m £7,035 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £230k £266 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£1.5m +£1,572 per pupil | £6.2m £6,319 per pupil | £6.8m £6,950 per pupil | Had a registered PTA until 2011 | — | £593k £609 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