DIOCESE OF SALISBURY ACADEMY TRUST: academy finances
28 academies with a full-year return, 1 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: 4 of 15 academies in deficit
- 2019-20: 4 of 18 academies in deficit
- 2020-21: 3 of 18 academies in deficit
- 2021-22: 1 of 22 academies in deficit
- 2022-23: 1 of 23 academies in deficit
- 2023-24: 1 of 24 academies in deficit
- 2024-25: 1 of 28 academies in deficit
in 2025-26 prices (HM Treasury GDP deflator, October 2026)
In 2023-24 the trust spent £139 per pupil centrally (cash), money that is not counted in its academies' own spending, or £147 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 | -£69k -£298 per pupil | £1.4m £6,277 per pupil | £1.7m £7,169 per pupil | £4k £16 per pupil | £16 | £95k £411 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£7k +£59 per pupil | £1.1m £8,835 per pupil | £1.1m £9,047 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £60k £472 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£15k +£72 per pupil | £1.3m £6,145 per pupil | £1.4m £6,565 per pupil | £8k £36 per pupil | £36 | £79k £369 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£24k +£166 per pupil | £1.3m £8,692 per pupil | £1.5m £10,384 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £61k £418 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£31k +£156 per pupil | £1.6m £8,025 per pupil | £1.7m £8,697 per pupil | Had a registered PTA until 2012 | — | £44k £224 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£41k +£332 per pupil | £1.1m £8,728 per pupil | £1.0m £8,120 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £37k £296 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£41k +£297 per pupil | £844k £6,072 per pupil | £905k £6,511 per pupil | £15k £107 per pupil | £107 | £36k £259 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£20k +£435 per pupil | £442k £9,404 per pupil | £488k £10,383 per pupil | £7k £141 per pupil | £141 | £21k £447 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£65k +£325 per pupil | £1.1m £5,518 per pupil | £1.3m £6,332 per pupil | £12k £61 per pupil | £61 | £106k £533 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£86k +£398 per pupil | £1.4m £6,498 per pupil | £1.6m £7,157 per pupil | £2k £9 per pupil | £9 | £72k £332 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£156k +£420 per pupil | £2.4m £6,432 per pupil | £2.5m £6,724 per pupil | £11k £28 per pupil | £28 | £172k £465 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£161k +£411 per pupil | £2.2m £5,712 per pupil | £2.3m £5,768 per pupil | £12k £31 per pupil | £31 | £122k £311 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