CHESTER DIOCESAN ACADEMIES TRUST: academy finances
23 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.
- 2019-20: 1 of 6 academies in deficit
- 2020-21: 0 of 8 academies in deficit
- 2021-22: 0 of 10 academies in deficit
- 2022-23: 1 of 10 academies in deficit
- 2023-24: 0 of 13 academies in deficit
- 2024-25: 3 of 20 academies in deficit
in 2025-26 prices (HM Treasury GDP deflator, October 2026)
In 2023-24 the trust spent £362 per pupil centrally (cash), money that is not counted in its academies' own spending, or £383 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 | -£28k -£339 per pupil | £739k £9,012 per pupil | £781k £9,524 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £1k £12 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£4k -£41 per pupil | £658k £6,926 per pupil | £654k £6,884 per pupil | £8k | — | £20k £211 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£2k -£30 per pupil | £644k £8,474 per pupil | £667k £8,776 per pupil | £5k | — | £10k £132 per pupil | ||
Heading for deficit | +£309 +£4 per pupil | £629k £8,616 per pupil | £665k £9,110 per pupil | £5k | — | £7k £96 per pupil | ||
Heading for deficit | +£59k +£586 per pupil | £798k £7,980 per pupil | £898k £8,980 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £5k £50 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£14k +£63 per pupil | £1.3m £5,667 per pupil | £1.4m £6,207 per pupil | £21k £96 per pupil | £96 | £18k £81 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£9k +£178 per pupil | £447k £9,312 per pupil | £457k £9,521 per pupil | £3k £90 per pupil | £90 | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£35k +£170 per pupil | £1.1m £5,502 per pupil | £1.3m £6,256 per pupil | £10k £48 per pupil | £48 | £21k £101 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£35k +£223 per pupil | £1.2m £7,509 per pupil | £1.2m £7,755 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £2k £13 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£50k +£248 per pupil | £1.3m £6,312 per pupil | £1.4m £7,020 per pupil | £26k | — | £17k £84 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£21k +£548 per pupil | £507k £13,342 per pupil | £448k £11,789 per pupil | £1k £33 per pupil | £33 | £3k £79 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£95k +£498 per pupil | £1.6m £8,330 per pupil | £1.5m £8,047 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 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