GLF SCHOOLS: academy finances
43 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: 12 of 31 academies in deficit
- 2019-20: 11 of 40 academies in deficit
- 2020-21: 8 of 41 academies in deficit
- 2021-22: 10 of 41 academies in deficit
- 2022-23: 13 of 41 academies in deficit
- 2023-24: 0 of 41 academies in deficit
- 2024-25: 0 of 42 academies in deficit
in 2025-26 prices (HM Treasury GDP deflator, October 2026)
In 2023-24 the trust spent £540 per pupil centrally (cash), money that is not counted in its academies' own spending, or £571 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Heading for deficit | +£149k +£858 per pupil | £1.1m £6,557 per pupil | £1.3m £7,448 per pupil | £8k £49 per pupil | £49 | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Tight | £0 £0 per pupil | £632k £5,496 per pupil | £633k £5,504 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£95k +£852 per pupil | £1.8m £16,321 per pupil | £1.7m £14,804 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £1k £9 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£501k +£930 per pupil | £5.7m £10,660 per pupil | £5.3m £9,911 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £10k £19 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£432k +£891 per pupil | £4.7m £9,744 per pupil | £4.9m £10,035 per pupil | Registered, no income filed yet | — | £14k £29 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£713k +£874 per pupil | £6.4m £7,858 per pupil | £6.4m £7,838 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £7k £9 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£575k +£859 per pupil | £5.1m £7,592 per pupil | £5.1m £7,694 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £10k £15 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£511k +£854 per pupil | £4.4m £7,374 per pupil | £4.5m £7,474 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £13k £22 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£1.3m +£895 per pupil | £10.0m £6,743 per pupil | £11.1m £7,524 per pupil | £27k £19 per pupil | £19 | £43k £29 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£951k +£929 per pupil | £8.2m £7,991 per pupil | £8.0m £7,780 per pupil | £54 £0 per pupil | £0 | £4k £4 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£184k +£852 per pupil | £1.6m £7,252 per pupil | £1.7m £7,709 per pupil | £4k £17 per pupil | £17 | £3k £14 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£187k +£852 per pupil | £1.5m £6,826 per pupil | £1.5m £6,922 per pupil | £8k £39 per pupil | £39 | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£244k +£870 per pupil | £2.0m £7,286 per pupil | £1.9m £6,818 per pupil | Had a registered PTA until 2024 | — | £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