HARRIS FEDERATION: academy finances
59 academies with a full-year return, 6 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 45 academies in deficit
- 2019-20: 0 of 46 academies in deficit
- 2020-21: 0 of 49 academies in deficit
- 2021-22: 0 of 50 academies in deficit
- 2022-23: 0 of 51 academies in deficit
- 2023-24: 10 of 54 academies in deficit
- 2024-25: 6 of 55 academies in deficit
in 2025-26 prices (HM Treasury GDP deflator, October 2026)
In 2023-24 the trust spent £617 per pupil centrally (cash), money that is not counted in its academies' own spending, or £652 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 | -£781k -£1,558 per pupil | £5.3m £10,549 per pupil | £6.0m £11,970 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £114k £228 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£340k -£889 per pupil | £2.9m £7,567 per pupil | £3.1m £8,110 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£177k -£643 per pupil | £2.5m £8,913 per pupil | £2.5m £9,174 per pupil | £2k £6 per pupil | £6 | £20k £72 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£72k -£116 per pupil | £4.7m £7,661 per pupil | £5.8m £9,365 per pupil | £20k £32 per pupil | £32 | £693k £1,120 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£5k -£4 per pupil | £8.5m £7,585 per pupil | £8.5m £7,599 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £3k £3 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£104k -£433 per pupil | £0 £0 per pupil | £132k £550 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£176k +£137 per pupil | £9.9m £7,740 per pupil | £9.8m £7,626 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £9k £7 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£247k +£210 per pupil | £10.9m £9,264 per pupil | £10.7m £9,091 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £52k £44 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£389k +£430 per pupil | £9.5m £10,553 per pupil | £9.4m £10,435 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £60k £66 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£573k +£434 per pupil | £12.1m £9,185 per pupil | £11.6m £8,761 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £15k £11 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£465k +£410 per pupil | £8.8m £7,739 per pupil | £9.5m £8,336 per pupil | Had a registered PTA until 2009 | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£153k +£430 per pupil | £2.7m £7,658 per pupil | £2.7m £7,476 per pupil | £24k £68 per pupil | £68 | £4k £11 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£719k +£467 per pupil | £12.6m £8,204 per pupil | £12.3m £7,996 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £18k £12 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