CAMBRIAN LEARNING TRUST: academy finances
18 academies with a full-year return, 4 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: 1 of 8 academies in deficit
- 2019-20: 1 of 8 academies in deficit
- 2020-21: 1 of 8 academies in deficit
- 2021-22: 1 of 8 academies in deficit
- 2022-23: 1 of 8 academies in deficit
- 2023-24: 1 of 9 academies in deficit
- 2024-25: 4 of 18 academies in deficit
in 2025-26 prices (HM Treasury GDP deflator, October 2026)
In 2023-24 the trust spent £446 per pupil centrally (cash), money that is not counted in its academies' own spending, or £471 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 | -£263k -£1,076 per pupil | £1.5m £6,082 per pupil | £1.7m £7,012 per pupil | £14k | — | £5k £20 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£126k -£1,056 per pupil | £795k £6,653 per pupil | £900k £7,531 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £4k £33 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£50k -£357 per pupil | £886k £6,374 per pupil | £1.3m £9,180 per pupil | Registered, no income filed yet | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£43k -£223 per pupil | £1.3m £6,660 per pupil | £1.4m £7,174 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £14k £73 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£56k +£128 per pupil | £2.5m £5,848 per pupil | £2.7m £6,241 per pupil | £25k £58 per pupil | £58 | £11k £25 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£381k +£216 per pupil | £12.8m £7,252 per pupil | £13.3m £7,564 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £46k £26 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£121k +£361 per pupil | £2.2m £6,577 per pupil | £2.3m £6,967 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £8k £24 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£90k +£453 per pupil | £1.4m £7,028 per pupil | £1.6m £8,005 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £28k £140 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£182k +£387 per pupil | £2.7m £5,785 per pupil | £3.0m £6,323 per pupil | £14k £30 per pupil | £30 | £23k £49 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£239k +£614 per pupil | £3.1m £7,954 per pupil | £3.4m £8,690 per pupil | £8k £20 per pupil | £20 | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£644k +£448 per pupil | £10.3m £7,168 per pupil | £10.8m £7,536 per pupil | £508 £0 per pupil | £0 | £11k £8 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£147k +£523 per pupil | £1.6m £5,617 per pupil | £1.6m £5,784 per pupil | £13k £48 per pupil | £48 | £5k £18 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£97k +£737 per pupil | £865k £6,553 per pupil | £988k £7,485 per pupil | £2k | — | £6k £45 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