FLYING HIGH TRUST: academy finances
37 academies with a full-year return, 7 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 21 academies in deficit
- 2019-20: 0 of 24 academies in deficit
- 2020-21: 0 of 28 academies in deficit
- 2021-22: 3 of 29 academies in deficit
- 2022-23: 8 of 31 academies in deficit
- 2023-24: 6 of 31 academies in deficit
- 2024-25: 6 of 34 academies in deficit
in 2025-26 prices (HM Treasury GDP deflator, October 2026)
In 2023-24 the trust spent £467 per pupil centrally (cash), money that is not counted in its academies' own spending, or £494 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 | -£78k -£1,902 per pupil | £382k £9,317 per pupil | £511k £12,463 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £1k £24 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£200k -£380 per pupil | £3.2m £6,030 per pupil | £3.0m £5,787 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £1k £2 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£67k -£204 per pupil | £1.9m £5,878 per pupil | £2.1m £6,277 per pupil | Had a registered PTA until 2020 | — | £1k £3 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£65k -£227 per pupil | £1.9m £6,478 per pupil | £2.0m £6,891 per pupil | Had a registered PTA until 2016 | — | £6k £21 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£17k -£249 per pupil | £731k £10,750 per pupil | £643k £9,456 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £4k £59 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£27k -£132 per pupil | £1.5m £7,165 per pupil | £1.5m £7,283 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£2k -£7 per pupil | £1.5m £6,736 per pupil | £1.6m £7,016 per pupil | £0 £0 per pupil | £0 | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£8k +£60 per pupil | £838k £6,254 per pupil | £778k £5,806 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£13k +£102 per pupil | £1.0m £8,260 per pupil | £1.0m £7,945 per pupil | Had a registered PTA until 2008 | — | £4k £31 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£41k +£122 per pupil | £2.0m £5,791 per pupil | £1.9m £5,614 per pupil | £8k £25 per pupil | £25 | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£61k +£133 per pupil | £2.6m £5,720 per pupil | £2.7m £5,848 per pupil | Had a registered PTA until 2009 | — | £5k £11 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£84k +£191 per pupil | £3.1m £7,084 per pupil | £3.2m £7,399 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £1k £2 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£96k +£224 per pupil | £2.7m £6,273 per pupil | £2.8m £6,432 per pupil | £628 | — | £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