CORNWALL EDUCATION LEARNING TRUST: academy finances
16 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 8 academies in deficit
- 2019-20: 0 of 12 academies in deficit
- 2020-21: 0 of 13 academies in deficit
- 2021-22: 1 of 14 academies in deficit
- 2022-23: 1 of 15 academies in deficit
- 2023-24: 3 of 16 academies in deficit
- 2024-25: 0 of 16 academies in deficit
in 2025-26 prices (HM Treasury GDP deflator, October 2026)
In 2023-24 the trust spent £440 per pupil centrally (cash), money that is not counted in its academies' own spending, or £465 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 | +£28k +£535 per pupil | £409k £7,717 per pupil | £543k £10,245 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £2k £38 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£55k +£566 per pupil | £842k £8,680 per pupil | £830k £8,557 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £3k £31 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£52k +£535 per pupil | £691k £7,124 per pupil | £695k £7,165 per pupil | £5k £52 per pupil | £52 | £6k £62 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£92k +£541 per pupil | £1.1m £6,525 per pupil | £1.1m £6,678 per pupil | £7k | — | £4k £24 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£74k +£550 per pupil | £897k £6,694 per pupil | £903k £6,739 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £5k £37 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£203k +£554 per pupil | £2.5m £6,738 per pupil | £2.3m £6,139 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £5k £14 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£776k +£539 per pupil | £12.2m £8,499 per pupil | £12.0m £8,326 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £9k £6 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£470k +£536 per pupil | £7.2m £8,154 per pupil | £6.9m £7,828 per pupil | Had a registered PTA until 2009 | — | £9k £10 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£515k +£553 per pupil | £7.5m £7,996 per pupil | £7.3m £7,844 per pupil | Had a registered PTA until 2019 | — | £2k £2 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£763k +£537 per pupil | £10.6m £7,423 per pupil | £10.1m £7,079 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £6k £4 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£914k +£553 per pupil | £12.2m £7,373 per pupil | £12.2m £7,403 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £11k £7 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£125k +£777 per pupil | £1.4m £8,857 per pupil | £1.5m £9,404 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £2k £12 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£254k +£548 per pupil | £2.8m £6,056 per pupil | £2.6m £5,600 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £8k £17 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