CHEVIOT LEARNING TRUST: academy finances
18 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: 0 of 7 academies in deficit
- 2019-20: 0 of 7 academies in deficit
- 2020-21: 0 of 8 academies in deficit
- 2021-22: 1 of 8 academies in deficit
- 2022-23: 0 of 8 academies in deficit
- 2023-24: 8 of 18 academies in deficit
- 2024-25: 0 of 18 academies in deficit
in 2025-26 prices (HM Treasury GDP deflator, October 2026)
In 2023-24 the trust spent £344 per pupil centrally (cash), money that is not counted in its academies' own spending, or £364 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Heading for deficit | +£37k +£459 per pupil | £643k £7,890 per pupil | £731k £8,969 per pupil | £3k | — | £3k £37 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£6k +£459 per pupil | £289k £24,083 per pupil | £262k £21,833 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £3k £250 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£17k +£459 per pupil | £409k £10,763 per pupil | £429k £11,289 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £3k £79 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£27k +£459 per pupil | £520k £8,739 per pupil | £551k £9,261 per pupil | £4k £62 per pupil | £62 | £3k £50 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£338k +£459 per pupil | £6.4m £8,689 per pupil | £7.0m £9,516 per pupil | £2 £0 per pupil | £0 | £3k £4 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£34k +£459 per pupil | £556k £7,463 per pupil | £577k £7,745 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £3k £40 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£53k +£459 per pupil | £775k £6,739 per pupil | £847k £7,365 per pupil | £5k | — | £9k £78 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£71k +£459 per pupil | £1.0m £6,673 per pupil | £1.0m £6,589 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £17k £110 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£65k +£459 per pupil | £871k £6,199 per pupil | £913k £6,498 per pupil | £6k £46 per pupil | £46 | £6k £43 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£55k +£459 per pupil | £772k £6,433 per pupil | £707k £5,892 per pupil | £15k £124 per pupil matched with lower confidence | £124 | £1k £8 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£141k +£459 per pupil | £1.8m £5,948 per pupil | £1.9m £6,147 per pupil | £13k £44 per pupil | £44 | £22k £72 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£94k +£459 per pupil | £1.2m £5,786 per pupil | £1.3m £6,195 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £6k £29 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£164k +£459 per pupil | £2.6m £7,383 per pupil | £2.7m £7,458 per pupil | Had a registered PTA until 2004 | — | £11k £31 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