EDUCATION SOUTH WEST: academy finances
14 academies with a full-year return, 3 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: 3 of 9 academies in deficit
- 2019-20: 2 of 9 academies in deficit
- 2020-21: 1 of 10 academies in deficit
- 2021-22: 2 of 10 academies in deficit
- 2022-23: 2 of 11 academies in deficit
- 2023-24: 3 of 12 academies in deficit
- 2024-25: 3 of 14 academies in deficit
in 2025-26 prices (HM Treasury GDP deflator, October 2026)
In 2023-24 the trust spent £691 per pupil centrally (cash), money that is not counted in its academies' own spending, or £730 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 | -£363k -£1,869 per pupil | £2.1m £10,789 per pupil | £1.7m £8,809 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£17k -£199 per pupil | £694k £7,977 per pupil | £601k £6,908 per pupil | £14k | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£14k -£41 per pupil | £2.1m £5,823 per pupil | £1.9m £5,269 per pupil | £16k matched with lower confidence | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£18k +£78 per pupil | £1.4m £6,147 per pupil | £1.4m £6,204 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£208k +£193 per pupil | £7.6m £7,078 per pupil | £7.2m £6,712 per pupil | Had a registered PTA until 2013 | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£241k +£546 per pupil | £3.3m £7,412 per pupil | £3.3m £7,527 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£80k +£526 per pupil | £980k £6,426 per pupil | £857k £5,620 per pupil | £14k £92 per pupil | £92 | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£427k +£470 per pupil | £6.9m £7,541 per pupil | £6.8m £7,430 per pupil | £6k £6 per pupil | £6 | £1k £1 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£489k +£560 per pupil | £6.5m £7,471 per pupil | £6.4m £7,286 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£262k +£805 per pupil | £2.5m £7,735 per pupil | £2.1m £6,495 per pupil | £10k £30 per pupil | £30 | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£1.3m +£1,031 per pupil | £9.3m £7,455 per pupil | £9.0m £7,211 per pupil | £13k £10 per pupil matched with lower confidence | £10 | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£533k +£1,357 per pupil | £2.2m £5,725 per pupil | £2.0m £5,076 per pupil | £11k £28 per pupil | £28 | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£161k +£1,857 per pupil | £640k £7,399 per pupil | £562k £6,497 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