DURHAM AND NEWCASTLE DIOCESAN LEARNING TRUST: academy finances
21 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 5 academies in deficit
- 2019-20: 0 of 6 academies in deficit
- 2020-21: 1 of 9 academies in deficit
- 2021-22: 1 of 11 academies in deficit
- 2022-23: 1 of 12 academies in deficit
- 2023-24: 1 of 17 academies in deficit
- 2024-25: 0 of 21 academies in deficit
in 2025-26 prices (HM Treasury GDP deflator, October 2026)
In 2023-24 the trust spent £327 per pupil centrally (cash), money that is not counted in its academies' own spending, or £346 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Tight | +£8k +£91 per pupil | £1.0m £11,410 per pupil | £1.0m £11,060 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £1k £11 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£12k +£209 per pupil | £477k £8,017 per pupil | £518k £8,706 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £13k £218 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£109k +£239 per pupil | £2.6m £5,602 per pupil | £2.7m £5,963 per pupil | £11k | — | £10k £22 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£22k +£480 per pupil | £459k £10,200 per pupil | £466k £10,356 per pupil | £7k | — | £7k £156 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£86k +£690 per pupil | £1.0m £8,064 per pupil | £935k £7,480 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £3k £24 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£104k +£953 per pupil | £924k £8,438 per pupil | £908k £8,292 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£75k +£1,102 per pupil | £611k £8,985 per pupil | £650k £9,559 per pupil | £6k £93 per pupil | £93 | £1k £15 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£67k +£1,364 per pupil | £502k £10,245 per pupil | £548k £11,184 per pupil | £5k £99 per pupil | £99 | £6k £122 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£98k +£964 per pupil | £704k £6,936 per pupil | £732k £7,212 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £2k £20 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£182k +£930 per pupil | £1.3m £6,607 per pupil | £1.3m £6,796 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £10k £51 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£203k +£825 per pupil | £1.4m £5,785 per pupil | £1.6m £6,304 per pupil | £4k | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£322k +£805 per pupil | £2.3m £5,720 per pupil | £2.3m £5,728 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £11k £28 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