CUMBRIA EDUCATION TRUST: academy finances
17 academies with a full-year return, 5 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: 5 of 6 academies in deficit
- 2019-20: 3 of 7 academies in deficit
- 2020-21: 2 of 11 academies in deficit
- 2021-22: 2 of 11 academies in deficit
- 2022-23: 3 of 12 academies in deficit
- 2023-24: 0 of 13 academies in deficit
- 2024-25: 5 of 17 academies in deficit
in 2025-26 prices (HM Treasury GDP deflator, October 2026)
In 2023-24 the trust spent £883 per pupil centrally (cash), money that is not counted in its academies' own spending, or £933 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 | -£130k -£404 per pupil | £1.8m £5,604 per pupil | £2.1m £6,676 per pupil | £11k £34 per pupil | £34 | £26k £81 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£32k -£733 per pupil | £463k £10,767 per pupil | £452k £10,512 per pupil | £5k £124 per pupil | £124 | £4k £93 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£30k -£207 per pupil | £1.2m £8,056 per pupil | £1.0m £7,222 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £2k £14 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£20k -£117 per pupil | £873k £5,076 per pupil | £885k £5,145 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £7k £41 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£45k -£34 per pupil | £9.7m £7,443 per pupil | £9.3m £7,164 per pupil | Registered, no income filed yet | — | £215k £165 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£28k +£73 per pupil | £2.7m £7,085 per pupil | £2.2m £5,799 per pupil | Had a registered PTA until 2008 | — | £9k £23 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£19k +£119 per pupil | £1.3m £8,289 per pupil | £1.3m £8,365 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £12k £75 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£42k +£321 per pupil | £1.1m £8,710 per pupil | £1.1m £8,479 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £21k £162 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£73k +£370 per pupil | £1.3m £6,417 per pupil | £1.2m £5,959 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £5k £25 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£96k +£342 per pupil | £1.6m £5,843 per pupil | £1.6m £5,725 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £3k £11 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£577k +£707 per pupil | £6.3m £7,768 per pupil | £5.7m £6,940 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £51k £62 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£968k +£761 per pupil | £10.2m £8,026 per pupil | £8.8m £6,941 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £71k £56 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£181k +£693 per pupil | £1.7m £6,437 per pupil | £1.8m £6,874 per pupil | £6k £25 per pupil | £25 | £20k £77 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