ENHANCE ACADEMY TRUST: academy finances
17 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 10 academies in deficit
- 2019-20: 2 of 10 academies in deficit
- 2020-21: 1 of 11 academies in deficit
- 2021-22: 3 of 11 academies in deficit
- 2022-23: 3 of 12 academies in deficit
- 2023-24: 2 of 13 academies in deficit
- 2024-25: 2 of 14 academies in deficit
in 2025-26 prices (HM Treasury GDP deflator, October 2026)
In 2023-24 the trust spent £431 per pupil centrally (cash), money that is not counted in its academies' own spending, or £455 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 | -£144k -£425 per pupil | £2.2m £6,385 per pupil | £2.1m £6,257 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £3k £9 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£2k -£13 per pupil | £1.1m £6,772 per pupil | £1.1m £6,956 per pupil | Had a registered PTA until 2011 | — | £3k £19 per pupil | ||
Heading for deficit | +£15k +£132 per pupil | £914k £7,983 per pupil | £1.1m £9,284 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £1k £9 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£23k +£132 per pupil | £1.1m £6,640 per pupil | £1.1m £6,541 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £1k £6 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£29k +£132 per pupil | £1.3m £5,820 per pupil | £1.3m £5,986 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £1k £5 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£29k +£243 per pupil | £751k £6,311 per pupil | £834k £7,008 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £1k £8 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£64k +£370 per pupil | £981k £5,671 per pupil | £949k £5,486 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £6k £35 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£110k +£491 per pupil | £1.4m £6,281 per pupil | £1.4m £6,433 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £1k £4 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£112k +£575 per pupil | £1.4m £7,402 per pupil | £1.3m £6,747 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£119k +£583 per pupil | £1.5m £7,346 per pupil | £1.4m £7,039 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £2k £10 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£278k +£620 per pupil | £3.1m £6,817 per pupil | £2.9m £6,491 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£257k +£1,242 per pupil | £1.8m £8,925 per pupil | £1.7m £8,378 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £1k £5 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£296k +£1,004 per pupil | £2.1m £7,000 per pupil | £2.0m £6,854 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £5k £17 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