CABOT LEARNING FEDERATION: academy finances
35 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: 2 of 19 academies in deficit
- 2019-20: 2 of 19 academies in deficit
- 2020-21: 1 of 19 academies in deficit
- 2021-22: 0 of 20 academies in deficit
- 2022-23: 1 of 25 academies in deficit
- 2023-24: 0 of 25 academies in deficit
- 2024-25: 0 of 35 academies in deficit
in 2025-26 prices (HM Treasury GDP deflator, October 2026)
In 2023-24 the trust spent £914 per pupil centrally (cash), money that is not counted in its academies' own spending, or £966 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Tight | +£12k +£584 per pupil | £1.5m £75,750 per pupil | £1.4m £67,900 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £4k £200 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£39k +£584 per pupil | £3.7m £54,716 per pupil | £3.3m £48,866 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £6k £90 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£32k +£584 per pupil | £2.2m £39,982 per pupil | £2.0m £36,745 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £2k £36 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£58k +£584 per pupil | £3.3m £33,040 per pupil | £3.0m £30,050 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £1k £10 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£37k +£584 per pupil | £2.1m £33,172 per pupil | £1.9m £29,109 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£643k +£584 per pupil | £14.7m £13,377 per pupil | £10.1m £9,129 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £82k £74 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£78k +£584 per pupil | £1.3m £9,813 per pupil | £1.2m £8,761 per pupil | Had a registered PTA until 2012 | — | £11k £82 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£86k +£584 per pupil | £1.3m £8,973 per pupil | £1.3m £8,514 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £30k £203 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£86k +£584 per pupil | £1.3m £8,714 per pupil | £1.3m £8,769 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £12k £82 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£89k +£584 per pupil | £1.2m £8,132 per pupil | £1.2m £7,987 per pupil | Had a registered PTA until 2012 | — | £11k £72 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£76k +£584 per pupil | £998k £7,677 per pupil | £937k £7,208 per pupil | £5k | — | £10k £77 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£128k +£584 per pupil | £1.7m £7,536 per pupil | £1.6m £7,127 per pupil | £6k £25 per pupil | £25 | £23k £105 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£118k +£584 per pupil | £1.5m £7,386 per pupil | £1.3m £6,515 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £12k £59 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