CONSORTIUM TRUST: academy finances
13 academies with a full-year return, 13 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 9 academies in deficit
- 2019-20: 0 of 11 academies in deficit
- 2020-21: 0 of 11 academies in deficit
- 2021-22: 0 of 11 academies in deficit
- 2022-23: 0 of 11 academies in deficit
- 2023-24: 0 of 13 academies in deficit
- 2024-25: 13 of 13 academies in deficit
in 2025-26 prices (HM Treasury GDP deflator, October 2026)
In 2023-24 the trust spent £1,759 per pupil centrally (cash), money that is not counted in its academies' own spending, or £1,859 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 | -£138k -£474 per pupil | £1.6m £5,473 per pupil | £1.7m £5,752 per pupil | £8k | — | £7k £24 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£44k -£474 per pupil | £665k £7,228 per pupil | £651k £7,076 per pupil | £8k £83 per pupil | £83 | £2k £22 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£34k -£474 per pupil | £556k £7,722 per pupil | £564k £7,833 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £1k £14 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£32k -£474 per pupil | £562k £8,265 per pupil | £567k £8,338 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £23k £338 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£44k -£474 per pupil | £745k £8,098 per pupil | £686k £7,457 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £6k £65 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£29k -£474 per pupil | £553k £8,992 per pupil | £484k £7,870 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £5k £81 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£30k -£474 per pupil | £560k £8,889 per pupil | £561k £8,905 per pupil | £2k | — | £4k £63 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£35k -£474 per pupil | £824k £11,135 per pupil | £764k £10,324 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £1k £14 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£9k -£474 per pupil | £377k £19,333 per pupil | £352k £18,051 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£9k -£474 per pupil | £399k £21,000 per pupil | £324k £17,053 per pupil | Registered, no income filed yet | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£67k -£474 per pupil | £4.0m £28,319 per pupil | £3.6m £25,766 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £4k £28 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£103k -£474 per pupil | £6.3m £28,959 per pupil | £5.4m £24,688 per pupil | £7k | — | £19k £87 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£8k -£474 per pupil | £476k £29,750 per pupil | £441k £27,562 per pupil | Registered, no income filed yet | — | £1k £62 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