CENTRAL LEARNING PARTNERSHIP TRUST: academy finances
16 academies with a full-year return, 2 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 11 academies in deficit
- 2019-20: 3 of 11 academies in deficit
- 2020-21: 4 of 15 academies in deficit
- 2021-22: 1 of 15 academies in deficit
- 2022-23: 1 of 15 academies in deficit
- 2023-24: 1 of 16 academies in deficit
- 2024-25: 2 of 16 academies in deficit
in 2025-26 prices (HM Treasury GDP deflator, October 2026)
In 2023-24 the trust spent £304 per pupil centrally (cash), money that is not counted in its academies' own spending, or £321 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 | -£139k -£745 per pupil | £5.5m £29,369 per pupil | £5.3m £28,337 per pupil | £11k | — | £10k £53 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£3k -£16 per pupil | £1.6m £8,389 per pupil | £1.6m £8,432 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£297k +£916 per pupil | £2.7m £8,354 per pupil | £2.5m £7,846 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£303k +£1,273 per pupil | £2.0m £8,399 per pupil | £2.0m £8,206 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£627k +£4,355 per pupil | £4.0m £27,729 per pupil | £4.1m £28,604 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£489k +£6,693 per pupil | £2.8m £38,589 per pupil | £2.9m £39,397 per pupil | £5k £73 per pupil | £73 | £3k £41 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£450k +£6,527 per pupil | £2.5m £36,768 per pupil | £2.3m £33,855 per pupil | Registered, no income filed yet | — | £2k £29 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£421k +£1,344 per pupil | £2.0m £6,438 per pupil | £2.0m £6,236 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £1k £3 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£1.9m +£1,864 per pupil | £7.9m £7,905 per pupil | £7.7m £7,675 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £1k £1 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£1.2m +£8,012 per pupil | £4.3m £27,276 per pupil | £3.6m £23,308 per pupil | Had a registered PTA until 2019 | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£2.9m +£2,704 per pupil | £9.1m £8,428 per pupil | £8.1m £7,487 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£526k +£8,620 per pupil | £1.2m £20,393 per pupil | £1.2m £19,098 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£2.0m +£10,545 per pupil | £4.8m £24,715 per pupil | £4.4m £22,881 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £2k £10 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