CIDARI EDUCATION LIMITED: academy finances
15 academies with a full-year return, 6 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: 3 of 8 academies in deficit
- 2019-20: 4 of 9 academies in deficit
- 2020-21: 4 of 10 academies in deficit
- 2021-22: 4 of 10 academies in deficit
- 2022-23: 5 of 12 academies in deficit
- 2023-24: 7 of 14 academies in deficit
- 2024-25: 5 of 14 academies in deficit
in 2025-26 prices (HM Treasury GDP deflator, October 2026)
In 2023-24 the trust spent £743 per pupil centrally (cash), money that is not counted in its academies' own spending, or £785 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 | -£266k -£1,863 per pupil | £812k £5,678 per pupil | £1.0m £7,112 per pupil | £22k £157 per pupil | £157 | £11k £77 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£247k -£1,523 per pupil | £1.2m £7,358 per pupil | £1.2m £7,284 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £5k £31 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£144k -£1,422 per pupil | £1.0m £10,228 per pupil | £1.0m £10,059 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £2k £20 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£150k -£442 per pupil | £2.2m £6,600 per pupil | £2.0m £5,771 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £3k £9 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£205k -£282 per pupil | £7.3m £9,990 per pupil | £7.0m £9,638 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £10k £14 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£13k -£229 per pupil | £453k £8,236 per pupil | £405k £7,364 per pupil | Registered, no income filed yet | — | £4k £73 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£25k +£120 per pupil | £1.4m £6,932 per pupil | £1.3m £6,166 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £2k £10 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£31k +£316 per pupil | £940k £9,691 per pupil | £825k £8,505 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £30k £309 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£76k +£437 per pupil | £1.6m £9,200 per pupil | £1.4m £8,120 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £3k £17 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£113k +£552 per pupil | £1.7m £8,564 per pupil | £1.5m £7,402 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£337k +£682 per pupil | £3.4m £6,829 per pupil | £3.1m £6,313 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £3k £6 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£354k +£817 per pupil | £3.1m £7,030 per pupil | £2.7m £6,187 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £1k £2 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£219k +£1,066 per pupil | £1.2m £5,639 per pupil | £1.0m £5,010 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