DIOCESE OF CHICHESTER ACADEMY TRUST: academy finances
27 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: 1 of 6 academies in deficit
- 2019-20: 1 of 8 academies in deficit
- 2020-21: 1 of 12 academies in deficit
- 2021-22: 2 of 14 academies in deficit
- 2022-23: 3 of 16 academies in deficit
- 2023-24: 5 of 19 academies in deficit
- 2024-25: 5 of 26 academies in deficit
in 2025-26 prices (HM Treasury GDP deflator, October 2026)
In 2023-24 the trust spent £538 per pupil centrally (cash), money that is not counted in its academies' own spending, or £569 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 | -£428k -£2,354 per pupil | £1.1m £6,308 per pupil | £1.4m £7,473 per pupil | £12k | — | £1k £5 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£180k -£1,312 per pupil | £911k £6,650 per pupil | £990k £7,226 per pupil | Registered, no income filed yet | — | £5k £36 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£91k -£494 per pupil | £1.4m £7,541 per pupil | £1.3m £6,941 per pupil | Had a registered PTA until 2013 | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£18k -£117 per pupil | £981k £6,497 per pupil | £974k £6,450 per pupil | Had a registered PTA until 2015 | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£19k -£49 per pupil | £2.3m £5,825 per pupil | £2.2m £5,492 per pupil | £18k | — | £10k £25 per pupil | ||
Heading for deficit | +£38k +£185 per pupil | £1.1m £5,627 per pupil | £1.3m £6,191 per pupil | £21k £103 per pupil | £103 | £27k £132 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£4k +£23 per pupil | £1.2m £7,135 per pupil | £1.1m £6,690 per pupil | £5k £29 per pupil | £29 | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£24k +£97 per pupil | £1.7m £6,708 per pupil | £1.7m £6,848 per pupil | £15k | — | £12k £48 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£46k +£255 per pupil | £1.4m £7,832 per pupil | £1.4m £7,754 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£32k +£357 per pupil | £870k £9,775 per pupil | £945k £10,618 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £9k £101 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£124k +£316 per pupil | £2.9m £7,437 per pupil | £2.8m £7,230 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £1k £3 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£61k +£301 per pupil | £1.2m £6,030 per pupil | £1.2m £6,010 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £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