GREAT LEARNERS TRUST: academy finances
11 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.
- 2019-20: 0 of 7 academies in deficit
- 2020-21: 0 of 8 academies in deficit
- 2021-22: 0 of 8 academies in deficit
- 2022-23: 0 of 9 academies in deficit
- 2023-24: 0 of 11 academies in deficit
- 2024-25: 0 of 11 academies in deficit
in 2025-26 prices (HM Treasury GDP deflator, October 2026)
In 2023-24 the trust spent £263 per pupil centrally (cash), money that is not counted in its academies' own spending, or £278 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Healthy | +£44k +£258 per pupil | £1.1m £6,582 per pupil | £1.1m £6,365 per pupil | £10k £58 per pupil | £58 | £9k £53 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£88k +£404 per pupil | £1.6m £7,490 per pupil | £1.8m £8,097 per pupil | £33k | — | £17k £78 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£64k +£472 per pupil | £1.1m £8,000 per pupil | £1.1m £8,200 per pupil | £13k £94 per pupil | £94 | £4k £30 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£217k +£457 per pupil | £3.4m £7,206 per pupil | £3.2m £6,750 per pupil | £0 £0 per pupil | £0 | £12k £25 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£89k +£404 per pupil | £1.3m £5,919 per pupil | £1.3m £5,733 per pupil | £4k | — | £4k £18 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£89k +£528 per pupil | £1.1m £6,804 per pupil | £988k £5,881 per pupil | £8k £45 per pupil | £45 | £4k £24 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£275k +£607 per pupil | £3.0m £6,637 per pupil | £2.8m £6,254 per pupil | £7k | — | £19k £42 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£240k +£596 per pupil | £2.4m £5,891 per pupil | £2.5m £6,209 per pupil | £53k £131 per pupil | £131 | £4k £10 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£382k +£791 per pupil | £2.7m £5,528 per pupil | £2.6m £5,474 per pupil | £13k | — | £22k £46 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£222k +£1,263 per pupil | £1.2m £6,653 per pupil | £1.3m £7,415 per pupil | £13k £72 per pupil | £72 | £6k £34 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£145k +£1,514 per pupil | £762k £7,938 per pupil | £680k £7,083 per pupil | £9k £93 per pupil | £93 | £10k £104 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