DELTA ACADEMIES TRUST: academy finances
64 academies with a full-year return, 2 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: 2 of 47 academies in deficit
- 2019-20: 0 of 49 academies in deficit
- 2020-21: 0 of 50 academies in deficit
- 2021-22: 0 of 51 academies in deficit
- 2022-23: 0 of 53 academies in deficit
- 2023-24: 0 of 53 academies in deficit
- 2024-25: 0 of 57 academies in deficit
in 2025-26 prices (HM Treasury GDP deflator, October 2026)
In 2023-24 the trust spent £269 per pupil centrally (cash), money that is not counted in its academies' own spending, or £284 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 | -£870k -£3,438 per pupil | £2.4m £9,601 per pupil | £2.6m £10,154 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £62k £245 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£892k -£1,977 per pupil | £3.8m £8,399 per pupil | £3.6m £7,914 per pupil | Had a registered PTA until 2018 | — | £5k £11 per pupil | ||
Heading for deficit | +£704k +£920 per pupil | £8.4m £10,963 per pupil | £6.9m £8,978 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £1k £1 per pupil | ||
Heading for deficit | +£487k +£1,118 per pupil | £2.9m £6,618 per pupil | £2.6m £6,007 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £2k £5 per pupil | ||
Heading for deficit | +£323k +£1,576 per pupil | £1.6m £7,561 per pupil | £1.4m £6,737 per pupil | £9k | — | £1k £5 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£61k +£146 per pupil | £2.4m £5,659 per pupil | £2.2m £5,197 per pupil | £7k £16 per pupil | £16 | £3k £7 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£279k +£2,325 per pupil | £3.1m £25,658 per pupil | £2.5m £21,008 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£1.2m +£791 per pupil | £14.6m £9,441 per pupil | £13.1m £8,453 per pupil | Registered, no income filed yet | — | £4k £3 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£329k +£896 per pupil | £3.5m £9,409 per pupil | £3.2m £8,684 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £1k £3 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£1.4m +£769 per pupil | £13.2m £7,276 per pupil | £12.5m £6,931 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £1k £1 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£217k +£819 per pupil | £2.1m £8,064 per pupil | £2.0m £7,469 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £2k £8 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£927k +£840 per pupil | £8.9m £8,087 per pupil | £8.1m £7,366 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £1k £1 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£738k +£903 per pupil | £7.4m £9,049 per pupil | £6.4m £7,885 per pupil | Had a registered PTA until 2025 | — | £0 £0 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